Group Still Moving Forward On Dog Park

July 25, 2010 by John Rook

Cheshire's first-ever dog park could be up and running by this fall, according to one member of the group spearheading the initiative to make the park a reality.
However, before that can happen, many issues have to be resolved.
Marita Roddy, a member of Cheshire Dog Park, a group of like-minded residents who have been working towards bringing the park to life over the last two years, stated that the group hopes to meet with the Town Council to officially get approval to move ahead on the project. Currently, the plan calls for a dog park to be erected on the site of the town's old land fill, directly adjacent to Artsplace, off of Waterbury Road. In December of 2009, the Planning Committee of the Town Council gave the plan its blessing, but the full Town Council has yet to vote.
One sticking point may be over who ultimately maintains the park, once it is established. Cheshire Dog Park members have stated they would like the Town to control maintenance of the park, with the group raising funds to offset any cost that would be incurred because of the work. However, both Roddy and Cheshire Parks and Recreation Department Director Robert Ceccolini, who has been helping in the effort to establish the park, stated that some Town Council members might be leaning towards “leasing” the area to Cheshire Dog Park, putting the onous of maintenance on that group.
As such, Roddy stated that a detailed binder of information will be distributed to Council members when the group ultimately meets with them in the future, which will show, she stated, that all surrounding towns who have such dog parks control the maintenance of the area. All other information about municipalities’ handling of their dog parks will be included in the packets, Roddy said.
“Because this is an old land fill, there are requirements that come along with maintenance,” said Roddy. “We would be concerned about handing that responsibility off to a volunteer group.”
Ceccolini stated that, as of now, there was no reason to believe the proposed site for the park would change, as it has long been deemed the most available piece of open space real estate that could accommodate such an area. However, there is no guarantee that the Council will officially approve the project, at which time Ceccolini said the group would be ready to move on.
“If it is too much or too expensive at this site, we will look for another site,” said Ceccolini. “I do believe that, one way or another, it will get done.”
One of the benefits of an established dog park, Ceccolini stated, is that it would help with the cleanliness of the other parks in town. Now, dog owners take their pets to different areas in Cheshire, but, if a centralized park is established, Ceccolini believes that the pet “traffic” and resulting mess would be diminished.
“There is no reason for Cheshire not to have one,” he commented. “A lot of towns already have them and if they don't, they are talking about adding one.”
The idea for a dog park has been floating around for years, with Ceccolini first raising the issue many years back when he requested that the project be covered as a Capital Budget initiative. The money was ultimately denied however, in 2008, so residents took up the cause.
While Roddy admits that the Cheshire Dog Park group had hoped to establish the park by now, the process has been slower than first imagined.
“You can send in all your paperwork to be a non-profit, but then when it gets to where it needs to be, it takes five or more months,” said Roddy.
Just recently, the group did attain that non-profit status and Roddy stated that they are now in the process of negotiating with a large retailer who had expressed interest in donating a hefty sum once the group was officially non-profit.
Roddy also said the group plans to apply for a state grant through the Town which, if approved, could help to not only get construction underway, but help fund other park amenities.
“When you apply, they want to see the whole package,” explained Roddy. “If we got the grant, it would help us not only put up the fence but also benches and tunnels for the dogs.”
It is expected that work to turn the area into a viable park could cost more than $25,000, but the group has insisted from the beginning that it plans to cover all costs through fundraising efforts.
Roddy stated that there is no word as to when the Town Council might agree to meet with the group.
“Whenever they say we can come, we are ready,” she said.