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Board backs dog park plan Plans for a dog park in Marshfield took a giant step forward Monday as the Marshfield Bark Park Committee won the approval of Selectmen. The Board, which had expressed considerable concern about the proposal when the two groups last met, got behind the plan fully following the Committee's presentation in which they addressed issues relating to possible pollution of the aquifer and a nearby drinking water well. DPW board members raised the pollution concerns last summer when they learned what site the Bark Park Committee was planning to use for the park. Board members said they worried the nitrates produced in dog urine could pollute the water supply or infiltrate the aquifer. But after doing extensive research on the matter and answering many of their questions, Selectmen appeared satisfied the site would be suitable. "I think the burden is now on the DPW to provide contradictory evidence to your presentation here to tonight," board member Patricia Epstein said. Bark Park Committee Chairman Brad White, along with members Norma Haskins and Gene McGillicuddy, presented a great deal of information defending the proposal to build the one-acre dog park on a 30-acre parcel of conservation land located off Forrest Street across from Tilden Road. White made note of a town bylaw which allowed for no more than five parts per million of nitrogen to be added by any project and explained the park's proposed nitrogen level of 3.48 parts per million was a figure well within those confines. The Bark Park Committee also conducted a study to determine the number of dogs living within the aquifer before and after the construction of the park. Two hundred of the town's 3,500 dogs currently reside within the aquifer. The addition of the park's estimated capacity of 43 dogs per day only increases the dog population in that area by 21 percent, an amount determined by the Board to be "very low and inconsequential." The committee also sought the advice of a Scituate Department of Public Works member who said the department would allow such a use as long as it were 400 feet from any and all wells. The proposed site of the park in Marshfield is in the proximity of two wells, one 1,100 feet away from the park and the other a distance of 1,200 feet. "We respectfully request your approval to move forward with this project," White said. While the committee does not require a vote of approval from selectmen, White said they were eager to have the board's support before moving forward with fundraising and the full design of the park. The Bark Park Committee will need the Conservation Commission's approval as the land is under their jurisdiction. "They didn't have to come before us, but they did as a courtesy," selectman Michael Maresco said. "We appreciate that." "You have a lot of arrows in your quiver to get this project underway," Board chairman Greg Owens said. "I feel much more comfortable with this plan." The committee plans to meet with DPW board and the Conservation Commission soon in hopes of getting the project off the ground officially this fall. At the previous meeting, White told Selectmen the committee plans to raise $50,000 privately for the park, but expects to use only $25,000 for construction. The remaining portion would be used for annual costs to run and maintain the park which White estimates at $5,000 annually. Current plans for the park include the installation of 6-foot-tall fencing around the perimeter allowing the dogs to run off their leashes, an agility area for small dogs and benches for dog owners.Those who use the park will pay a $5 per year fee, providing them with a permit. The park will also have a pick-up-after-your-pet policy and will provide waste receptacles, bags and gloves for pet owners to clean up. "I think things went very well for us tonight," White said after the meeting. "We came equipped with enough evidence to support that we won't hurt the water supply." ### |
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