Somerville residents from Wards One, Two and Six attended the meeting of the City's Dog Owners Task Force, Thursday evening, January 11.

Carlene Campbell, Community Outreach Director, Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, reported that she has been following up on a visit with Alderman Walter Pero and Ward Four residents to a prospective site for an off-leash recreational area off East Albion Street behind the Healy School. The property is owned by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), and the structure on property is a water treatment plant. When the construction of the Healy School and grounds was being planned, it was necessary to situate the school at a specific minimum distance from the plant. She has a call in to MWRA for additional details.

Regarding the park for seniors and the off-leash recreational area at Zero New Washington Street in Ward One, Campbell announced that the availability of funding for the parks will be determined after April 1, when federal Community Development Block Grant funding for the City is announced. The City has requested $50.000 in CDBG funding for the parks at Zero New Washington Street.

The Task Force discussed a communication that a resident from Ward Two received from a resident who serves on the City’s Bicycle Committee regarding pedestrian safety when the new parks open on Zero New Washington Street. Specifically, the correspondence recommended that, at the same time that the parks are built, sidewalks be installed on both sides of New Washington Street.

A Ward One resident spoke of pedestrian safety concerns at the intersection of Washington Street and Inner Belt Road, where the duration of the walk signal is insufficient for pedestrians to cross the street, and where turning traffic runs the red signal. Families who live in the densely populated residential neighborhood north of Washington Street will have to cross Washington Street at this intersection to get to the parks at Zero New Washington Street. Campbell said that she would speak with the Department of Traffic and Parking about the walk signal and the Police Department about enforcement of the traffic signal.

Campbell reported that the plans for the Perry Park are being finalized and that they will be presented to the public at a Community Meeting, which will be attended by the Mayor. The Perry Park Community Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 6, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Academy Room at the Somerville Police Station, 220 Washington Street.

Campbell reported that new signs have been posted in several parks around the City advising park users that all dogs must be on a leash and to clean up after your dog.

In a response to a request from a resident from Ward Two, Campbell will follow up with the City Clerk about the possibility of making 2007 dog license applications available at the Nunziato Off-Leash Recreational Area.

Campbell spoke with a landscape architect about reports that the new stone dust surface of the Nunziato OLRA is unusually damp even during dry weather. The dampness is a result of the cooler seasonal temperatures: the water is ground water.

A resident from Ward Six asked why the City did not preserve the grass at the back of the OLRA. Campbell reported that a landscape architect who advised the City on the installation of the stone dust explained that, because of the high use of the park, it was necessary to treat the entire area with stone dust in order to prevent further erosion of the park surface.

In response to an inquiry from a resident from Ward Two regarding addressing the problem of dogs digging in the Nunziato OLRA, Campbell said that she has made arrangements with the DPW to check the surface of the OLRA regularly and fill in any holes. She will also speak to the City Solicitor about amending the rules for off-leash recreational areas to include “No Digging.”

The City's Dog Owners Task Force meets on the second Thursday each month at City Hall in the conference room on the third floor from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. For more information contact

Carlene Campbell
Community Outreach Director
Mayor's Office for Strategic Planning and Community Development
City Hall
93 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 625-6600 x2517
ccampbell * at * ci.somerville.ma.us