Swampscott to clear space for new dog park

SWAMPSCOTT – The pack is soon migrating to a new home.Members of the Swampscott Park for Off-leash Time (SPOT) said they are ready to begin constructing a dog park behind the rear parking lot at Phillips Park as soon as this fall.”As soon as the site is cleared, we can get the fence up,” said SPOT Vice-Chair Lynn Zabar at the selectmen’s Tuesday night meeting. “Will that be the final beautiful phase? No, but we think it will begin to be utilized.”A group of dog owners began SPOT three years ago to find an area where local dogs could play off-leash year-round after the town closed the beaches to dogs during the summer, SPOT supporter Joan Caradonna said. The nonprofit organization presented their idea of a dog park to the board of selectmen in Fall 2008, who approved the concept but requested the organization return when ready to begin construction. Tuesday night, Zabar said that the group had decided to move the site from the former location of Kids Cove to a predominantly wooded area at the back of the parking area closest to Puritan Road.Selectman Jill Sullivan said that town officials and SPOT organizers agreed that the site was “underutilized” and that the new location would be better suited to the park’s long-term use.Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said Friday that the Department of Public Works would plan to clear the land in late October or March – trying to time the clearing when the brush was not growing but the ground wasn’t frozen.Zabar said that the group will begin by cleaning and clearing the site, then enclose an approximately 100-foot-by-100-foot area with a five-foot-tall chain-link fence. There will be separate areas for little and older dogs to play away from the bigger canines, Zabar said, and the double-fenced entry will prevent escapes. Eventually, the group hopes to add plants, benches and a fountain, Zabar said. There will be an approximately 50-foot buffer of woods between the park and nearby houses to absorb some of the barking noise, Zabar added.”It’s a nicer area because there are a lot of trees that are left – part of it is more foresty – and there will be an open area too,” Zabar said on Friday. “We want to try and make it like a social place, maybe have a Pug Party ? or special times for special breeds of dogs.”The group has expanded their fundraising goal to $50,000 to pay for the cleanup and rehabilitation of the new site, Zabar said. Selectmen indicated that they would like the site to be available for all users, but dogs must be spayed or neutered and up-to-date on shots, according to proposed rules posted on the SPOT website.Selectmen at the Tuesday meeting expressed support for the park.”I’ve received letters in support and say let’s get going,” said Selectman David Van Dam.And some neighborhood dogs – and their owners – seemed excited on Friday.”We’re excited to have a dog park here,” said Irene Taylor, whose husband Ray said that their Shetland sheepdog Sandy has been known to “cheat” and go on the beach by the family home.Zabar joked that the park would benefit all residents – not just dog owners.She explained that she has a Boxer mix. “He’s very friendly,” she said. “But not a lot of people appreciate him running at them on the beach to say hi.”And yes, everybody visiting the park site on Friday said they will have lots of plastic bags available at the site to make sure that owners remove their animals’ droppings.For more information on the dog park or to donate to the cause, please visit http://www.bigbluespot.org/home.html.