Subscribe to our free, daily publication for all your Westford news.
Efforts to approve a site for a dog park were stymied again on Dec. 19 when residents of Gage Lane caught wind of the plans for their neighborhood and voiced opposition to selectmen.
Dog Park Task Force Co-chairman Edie Fruscione began her presentation by expressing excitement that her two-year effort of researching potential sites had finally paid off.
“As I was walking in the building tonight I tried to count how many times I’ve sat in this chair and I’ve lost track, but I’m pretty excited tonight and I’m hoping you will continue to support the choice of the Gage land for a dog park,” she said to selectmen.
But after hearing a number of objections from Westford and Chelmsford residents in the Gage Lane neighborhood, selectmen ultimately postponed voting on whether to formally support the site until their Jan. 9 meeting. [Scroll past the video to continue reading.]
With Town Manager Jodi Ross’s assistance and support from the Board of Selectmen, Fruscione had settled on a 1-acre parcel in the southeast corner of the town near Heart Pond. Gage Lane crosses the Chelmsford line and is the single access road for a cluster of Chelmsford residents who must travel through Westford to leave their neighborhood.
Neighbors spoke of beavers, salamanders and turtles, and deer that regularly pass through the wooded land. They painted a picture of a quiet, remote neighborhood on the edge of a pond that draws wildlife and provides a haven from a bustling world.
“To suggest putting a dog park in the middle of these huge, 200 foot trees that have been here forever is just really offensive to most of the neighbors that are here tonight…” said Westford resident Tiffany Scanlon. Then turning to those seated in the meeting room, Scanlon asked the opponents to raise their hands. Sixteen hands went up.
The portrayal prompted Selectmen Mark Kost to apply the brakes.
“To be honest, I’m kind of getting tired of talking about this dog park…It’s a NIMBY thing,” he said. Kost praised the task force members’ efforts, but noted that every parcel suggested – from one on the Nabnasset School grounds to one on Stony Brook School grounds to an area at the Graniteville ballfields – were met with objections.
Kost said the board should decide on whether to have a dog park in town, and if so, which parcel to support and bring before annual Town Meeting for approval.
“So I think our decision at the next meeting has to be are we going to have one or not and be done with it,” he said. “It’s either yes or no.”
