A letter in support of the dog park

“Article 97 has been cited by the opposition and is a Massachusetts law preserving open space and this project precisely does that.”

  (Editor’s Note: Joe Vecchione submitted the following letter to the Saugus Conservation Commission, explaining why he believes a dog park would be a good addition to Stocker Playground.)

I ask that this letter in support of the proposed Dog Park at Stocker Park be read into the record. I regret that I cannot attend this hearing in-person due to a pre-scheduled work conflict.

The primary mission of the Conservation Commission is to protect and conserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that are dependent upon the wetlands resources of the Town of Saugus.

While there will be arguments and testimony that is well outside of the scope of what Conservation Commission covers, working in conjunction with Conservation Commission before as a former member of the Planning Board, I am confident that this commission will act based on the facts of this project and what it replaces rather than be drawn into hyperbolic claims that will be made about dogs, dog parks, and the dog owning community tonight.

I am a registered Architect in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and have reviewed both the plans and NOI filed by the Town. The fact is this project includes the removal of over ½ acre of crumbling impervious asphalt, a new buffer of native plantings further separating the recreational area from the river and wetlands, and much needed drainage improvements to better protect against flooding which has historically troubled the area in the past, primarily at king tide. These inherent improvements will significantly mitigate the stormwater runoff that is currently present with the existing courts and aging infrastructure. With a plan for pervious ground materials and new dedicated trash cans for dog waste situated in well-designed separate spaces for large dogs, small dogs, and single dog play, and with a committed maintenance plan in place, infiltration or runoff of dog waste into the river will be rare. As a result, the impact of the dog park will create a substantial net-positive condition compared to the existing condition where oils, runoff, trash, and, currently, road salts run directly into the river. It also is encouraging knowing the Town’s commitment to working with the Commission to meet all local, state and federal environmental regulations as is required here along with broad community support of the project with over 400 residents signing a petition supporting a Dog Park at Stocker Park in just over a week.

It’s important to note that this proposed dog park is not a novel use. Neither the use itself, its adjacency to wildlife or water, or shared use with youth playgrounds and fields is uncommon. There are 18 dog parks in northeastern Massachusetts alone and precedent is critical to understanding the true atmosphere a dog park creates – and no, it’s not a lawless, unsafe, incessantly loud, free-for-all like some critical to this proposal may present it as. It is clear that several opponents of this proposal have not visited a dog park before. If your concern is a dog park close to a playground, you can see this condition manifests in Gloucester or in the North End, for example. If your concern is the adjacency to youth fields, there are too many to count but a few nearby examples are at Pine Banks, Peabody and Woburn. If the concern is an adjacency to water and the aquatic habitat, Melrose, Salem and Haverhill are situated directly adjacent to bodies of water, fresh and saltwater. And as far as concerns for wildlife and harmonious integration of dog parks in wildlife rich areas, this is the most common setting for them whether it’s Breakheart Reservation, Andover, Endicott Park, or Sheepfold. The fallacy that this dog park will significantly impact the eagle, osprey, or aquatic population is unsubstantiated and simply not true, especially given the recreational use and volume that has resonated from Stocker Park for decades between tee ball, basketball, and wiffle ball, when they all were at high use. This is a recreational open space replacing a recreational open space and there is ample local precedent of dog parks situated in a multitude of settings that can be compared against this proposal.

Article 97 has been cited by the opposition and is a Massachusetts law preserving open space and this project precisely does that. By maintaining the playground, ball fields, and kayak launch and adding a dog park, a recreational area, in the same footprint as a former recreational area, this proposal maintains the multi-use recreational function for all Saugonians. This is not a residential or commercial development, school, or infrastructure project which Article 97 was designed to protect against. A dog park falls into no other use group in our zoning other than Open Space.

At the core of the argument against a dog park, it comes down to abutters not wanting it in their vicinity which is common for almost any new project in Saugus and beyond, large or small. What I’ve seen is what I would describe as a “throw mud at the wall” approach to obstructionism which is unfortunate. As a resident who spent their first 21 years abutting Anna Parker playground, I understand more than most that public open spaces belong to more than the neighbors who abut them, myself included. They belong to all Saugonians and as our needs change, these spaces change with them. This is why the Town has made a sizable effort and investment in upgrading parks and playgrounds across Saugus in the past decade with changes along the way to modernize our recreational offerings from ADA compliant tot areas at Bucchiere Playground to pickleball courts at Anna Parker to regulation sized basketball courts just down the road from Stocker Park. A safe and accessible dog park with space dedicated for large, small, and timid dogs to serve the thousands of dog owners in Saugus nestled within a preserved multi-use park is the next step in this effort to expand and modernize our public spaces and better serve the needs of all Saugonians.

I look forward to the Town working with this Commission to ensure this proposal meets all environmental regulations to progress towards the creation of a long awaited accessible dog park and what will be a fantastic addition to our community.

Sincerely,

Joe Vecchione