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The City of New Bedford invites the public to view the concept plans for the new dog park in New Bedford at a meeting on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 6 pm at Buttonwood Park Community Center. The concept plans will be presented by Pressley Associates who have been engaged by the City to design the dog park.
“This is an exciting project and I have heard from many residents who really like the idea of adding a dog park to our park system. Public input on the plan will help us to develop the best project so I invite residents to attend the upcoming meeting,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell.
The dog park will be installed on Hathaway Boulevard between Greenwood Street and Ruggles Street on property acquired by the City in relationship to the Parker Street Waste Site remediation.
A formal off-leash space for dogs has been a desire of the city for some time. The City Council established a Special Committee on the Feasibility of Creating a Dog Park in 2008 and has since recommended criteria for development and rules for operation of a Dog Park.
The selection of the site was made in 2014 when under Mayor Mitchell’s leadership, the City hosted community information sessions, solicited ideas for reuse of the land and ultimately presented the dog park proposal to the community. The neighborhood also agreed that a dog park would be the best reuse option for the parcels. The City then solicited input regarding design and best practices through meetings with city dog park advocates. City departments have also reviewed the proposed use of the site and support the development of a dog park in this location. The dog park will be managed by the Department of Parks Recreation & Beaches and maintained by the Department of Public Infrastructure.
The proposed dog park will be an enclosed area safe for canines to play, socialize, and learn off-leash. The dog park will be accessed via a “swipe card”. Swipe cards will be available to owners of neutered, licensed dogs, with all vaccinations up to date, for an annual fee paid to the City. An information kiosk will provide park rules with contact information for the animal control officer. Owners will be responsible to clean up after their dogs.
The proposed dog park site will include:
• Black-vinyl coated chain link fencing (height: 5 feet) to enclose the dog park
• Double gated swing entrance/exit
• Two distinct play areas: one small dog area and one large dog area
• Canine agility elements: balance beam, climbing areas, and a sand pit
• Dog water station/fountain
• Seating areas
• Trash and recycling receptacles, dog waste bag dispensers
• On-site parking with walkway to the enclosure
• Shade tree(s)
• Swipe card access system
• Informational kiosk and signage
Pressley Assoc. are a well known and award winning landscape architecture firm from Boston. They have designed several dog parks and most recently completed the Bremen St Dog Park in East Boston.
The dog park design and installation is funded through a grant the City was awarded by the Stanton Foundation. The City applied for and received $21,940 for the design phase and $222,472.00 for construction. The Stanton Foundation was created by long time CBS president, Frank Stanton, and has canine welfare and the strengthening of the dog-human bond as one of its core missions. It has supported the construction of seven dog parks in Massachusetts with several more under construction including this park in New Bedford.
Pay to let your dog play? Yeah right, get a clue.
I am from N.B., now living in Texas. It should not cost that much to build, for one. People should not have to pay to use it, for two. We have lots of them here and no fees to use them..just follow the rules for using them. Just another way to hit people’s pockets, for three. Put that money to better use, fix the streets, if that is your concept. Just saying…..??? (Reasons I left MA). ? ?