The Boston Parks and Recreation Department aims to put a dog park in every neighborhood in the city, according to Project Manager Allison Perlman, who spoke at a Friday meeting to discuss improvements to West Roxbury’s Millennium Park.
Currently, there are four official BPRD dog recreation spaces out of 24 City-recognized neighborhoods — none lie south of Dorchester.
“It’s a big issue,” Perlman said during the meeting. “Boston Parks does recognize the need to provide a space for all and as such, we are working towards having a dog park in every neighborhood.”
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The City budgeted more than $3.2 million for the renovation of Millennium Park, but those funds were specifically earmarked for the playground, pathways and a restroom feasibility study, according to Perlman.
Friday’s meeting was the first in a series of three in which residents could voice their concerns, provide input on what should be renovated and ask city workers questions about the project.
This phase of the updates didn’t include space for a dog park, but several of the 30 people attending the meeting brought the topic up during the Q&A portion.
“Two friends of mine have been attacked by loose dogs on the pathways,” Roslindale resident and park regular David Wean said. “Some of the dog owners seem to feel really, really entitled. Obviously enforcement is important, but that really shows there’s a need for a dog park here.”
Perlman said she’s happy to discuss avenues to create a dog park, but those discussions would need to take place in the future and be kept separate from talks of the current stage of the Millennium Park project. Residents are welcome to contact her directly to discuss, she said.
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“We only have three meetings to gather community feedback and it’s important to focus discussion on our current scope,” Perlman said.
The City needs to ensure Millennium is a safe area for a dog park because it used to be a landfill, said Parks Commissioner Ryan Woods. The department would ask for help from the community to find a suitable location if Millennium Park is not the best option, Woods said.
Interested parties could provide a proposal to Boston Parks highlighting a BPRD-owned location that isn’t in close proximity to neighbors, children’s playgrounds, slopes and sensitive habitats or outfields.
“There’s all these regulations that have to be met,” Woods said. “There’s all these boxes that you have to check. It’s more involved than just putting up a fence in a park and calling it a dog space.”
Beyond an area that meets this criteria, community support is needed, Woods said.
Woods added that the support of a civic or nonprofit “friends” group to oversee development and long-term maintenance would be especially important.
“We have to have a committed group that wants to engage and be involved,” Woods said. “When there’s problems at the dog park, it’s the friends group, the nonprofit group that forms around this, that helps deal with the issues.”
Paul Odelson is a member of Common Canine, a Friends of the Public Garden program at the Boston Commons. He said he remembers his involvement to create an off-leash dog recreation area there about 10 years ago.
“We were very happy to work with the Friends of the Public Garden, and of course the Boston Parks department,” Odelson said. “There wasn’t that many off-leash areas at the time, with the exception of Peters Park.”
Many “friends” groups, including Common Canine, needed fundraising to meet the sufficient budget for a dog park — about $250,000 to $275,000, according to Woods. Other methods include applying for grants and advocating to City councilors for capital funding.
“I’m a huge believer in community and communication,” Odelson said. “I would say any group that’s starting to form to reach out to the community and get their opinions, their advice.”
Alternatively, through Boston’s Parcel Priority Plan, residents can suggest parcels of land for acquisition by BDPR to add to the park system and give feedback on how the city should use it — including as a dog park.
“If you want to use city land or public land, you really have to work to make sure it’s for the good of the public, for the good of the entire community and not just one group,” Odelson said.
Woods said the entire process for each park could take upward of a year, depending on the resources available and commitment of those involved once funding is in place.
Odelson added that dog parks can help keep dogs out of areas designated for other activities, such as field sports or childrens’ play spaces.
“I would love to see [a dog park] in every area,” Odelson said. “If they’re able to work with communities to get dog slots in almost every neighborhood, that would be fantastic.”
