WESTFIELD – The Friends of the Westfield Dog Bark have been working for about two years to create a playground for dogs in the city, while similar efforts are underway in other area communities.
The Westfield Friends have staged a variety of fund-raising events to finance a dog park, although they have not been able to secure a site.
In Agawam, a similar situation exists with a group working to raise needed funds, while they also work to find a site for their dog park.
And in Holyoke a dog park has been included in the city’s plans to develop the Community Fields Park.
The inclusion of a dog park in such a city project may ultimately be the answer to the question in Westfield, although the Friends of the Westfield Dog Bark have also considered private property for the playground.
After investigating the possibility of using property on Russell Road owned by the Westfield State Foundation, or part of Stanley Park’s acreage, the Friends next pinned their hopes on using a disused city park, Arms Brook Park on Lockhouse Road. But those hopes wavered when complications arose concerning which city department actually controls the part of the property eyed for the dog park. Those hopes were ultimately dashed when the Friends found that they could not finance a driveway and parking area, which would be needed if the dog park was to be located there.
In Holyoke, the impetus to create a dog park did not come from a group of dog owners looking for a place for their dogs to play, but from planners, who decided to include a dog park during discussions about how to develop the 93.6 acre Community Field Park off Cherry Street, according to Teresa Shepard, director of the Holyoke Parks and Recreation Department.
She said dog owners had expressed concerns that “there aren’t any areas in the city where people can legally walk their dog without a leash” and a dog park at Community Fields will rectify that problem.
She said that no concerns were raised about intermingling dogs and children in the same area and that rules have been established regarding the use of the dog park. Shepard said that “doggie do” stations are already in place at city parks and that she expects the new dog park will be “self patrolled” by users, but noted that the park will be staffed during the daylight hours when it is open.
The dog park will be only one of the amenities at the four-season park, which will include a skating path with a warming house, pavilions, a picnic area, two playscapes and a large playing field.
Shepard said that “most of the work is done” for the $3.1 million project to develop the park and said she expects it to be completed in the spring.
In Agawam, the quest for a dog parks is underway and, although planning there is in the early stages, the concept enjoys considerable community support.
Deborah S. Dachos, director of the Agawam Planning and Community Development Department, said “we got almost 400 responses” to a recent survey and said “The overwhelming majority (of respondents) wanted to see a dog park somewhere in town.”
She stressed that the planning is “very preliminary” but that a group, Agawam Dog Owners, has been formed and is working to raise funds and to organize a dog park in Agawam.
She said that the model currently being explored is based on construction of a dog park on public property by the dog owners, who will organize and finance the playground for dogs.
Dachos said that a portion of Shea Field abutting Robinson State Park is under consideration as a site for a dog park. School Street Park has also been mentions as a possible location.
In Westfield, the effort is also focusing on finding space on city property for a dog park.
When it became apparent that the Arms Brook Park site was not a realistic option, the Friends worked with Parks and Recreation Department staff to consider using a portion of Paper Mill Playground for a dog park. That proposal was tabled by the department’s commission, after neighborhood residents and a Little League official raised objections to the site at a public meeting to discuss the proposal.
City councilors at the meeting pledged to help find both a site and funding for a dog park in the city.
Subsequently, the City Council voted to approve a special advisory committee comprised of both councilors and members of the public to work on the project.
Ward 6 Councilor Christopher Crean was named to chair the committee, which includes At-large Councilors James R. Adams and Brian Sullivan. Residents interested in serving on the committee are invited to contact council President Christopher Keefe.
One site mentioned is city property at Turnpike Industrial Park.
City Advancement Officer Jeff Daley has said that four or five acres of land there have been earmarked for a new city-owned animal shelter to replace the leased shelter on Apremont Way. Crean has said “That could be a good location for a dog park.”
And at the January meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission, the commissioners discussed an unspecified 30 acre site which has been proposed for a new recreation complex.
The commissioners said at the meeting that they planned to include amenities beyond the usual baseball and soccer fields at a new facility and including a dog park there was mentioned.
However, city officials expect that both of those projects are at least 3-5 years away from completion and members of the Friends are eager to have a dog park, even one which is only an interim solution, sooner than that.
To that end, the members of the Friends are continuing to raise funds for a dog park and expect to overcome one outstanding hurdle soon when the group is granted 501(c)(3) status, which will mean that contributions to the effort will be fully tax-deductible.
“That’s going to make all the difference in the world” in terms of soliciting donations Marilyn Sandidge, the vice-president of the Friends, said recently. She said that the process to gain 501(c)(3) status has been prolonged but is nearing fruition.
The group will stage its next fund-raising event on Saturday with a Zumba party at the Westfield Woman’s Club on Court Street from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Sandidge explained that, for a $15 donation, Zumba instructors will be on hand to teach participants the Zumba dance-fitness program, promoted as a fun way to exercise and burn calories. The event will also feature raffles for prizes contributed by local individuals and merchants. Light refreshments will be served.
And, after the Zumba event, the Friends will stage a dog walk through downtown Westfield in May to continue their efforts to raise funds for the Westfield Dog Bark, wherever it eventually is located.
