Ward Three Alderman Tom Taylor, who owns two dogs, joined us at our som|dog meeting and potluck dinner of empanadas, chicken pot pie, baked beans, chips and fruit salad on February 26.

The preliminary calendar of som|dog events for 2007 was distributed. We expect that our first event will be an outreach table at the annual Somerville Rabies Vaccination and Dog Licensing Day.

The Board of Directors is following up on an inquiry from the City's Department of Communications and hopes to be able to provide more details soon.

The Board is delighted that Somerville Public Library Board of Trustees has selected the Somerville Dog Owners Group to participate in a series of community conversations regarding the library and its future. We have set aside forty minutes for a fifteen-minute powerpoint presentation and Q & A at the next som|dog meeting on March 26 in the Community Room at the Stop and Shop on McGrath Highway.

We discussed the special election to fill the seat of Alderman-at-Large vacated by State Representative Denise Provost. Three candidates are running for Alderman-at-Large, Jack Connolly, formerly Ward Six Alderman, Richard Daut, who, according the Somerville News is a former Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney, and Marty Martinez, who is on the Board of the Somerville Community Corporation and ran for Alderman-at-Large in 2005.

We continued the discussion of the role of som|dog Ward Coordinator from last month's meeting.

We shared updates about the following open spaces and parks:

• Zero New Washington Street (Ward 1)
  
  • A resident from Ward One agreed to contact his Alderman to find out who bought the property adjacent to the new open space
    
  • It was reported that, at the Dog Owners Task Force Meeting, Carlene Campbell, Director of Community Outreach, recalled that when the DOTF last discussed Zero New Washington Street, in March 2006, the area under consideration for off-leash recreation was approximately 10,0000 square feet.

    At the meeting of the Finance Committee on November 1, 2006, the Mayor agreed to conserve one acre at Zero New Washington Street for a park for people and pets.

  
  
• Perry Park (Ward 2)
  
  • At the Community Meeting about the Perry Park Meeting on February 6, the proposed off-leash recreational area was taken out of the plans for the renovation. Instead the City will create a 10,000 sq. ft. OLRA at 111 South Street in Ward 2.
  
  
• Nunziato Off-Leash Recrational Area (Ward 3)
  
  • som|dog has been granted permission by the City Clerk and the Commissioner of Public Works to hang a literature box for Somerville dog license applications at the Nunziato OLRA.
  
  
• Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) Water Treatment plant off East Albion Street (Ward 4)
  
  • Alderman Taylor inquired about the prospective site for an OLRA behind the Healy School in Ward Four. t Campbell has contacted the MWRA and they are interested in having a conversation.
  
  
• Grimmons Park (Ward 4)
  
• Community Path (Wards 5 and 6)
  
  • All the old “No Dogs Allowed” signs have been removed. The Community Path is posted "All Dogs Must Be On A Leash And Clean Up After Your Dog."
  
  
• Nathan Tufts Park, a.k.a. Powder House Park (Ward 6)
  
  • All the old “No Dogs Allowed” signs have been removed. Powder House Park is posted "All Dogs Must Be On A Leash And Clean Up After Your Dog."

For the Partners in Parks conference on Saturday, June 9, som|dog's goal is to have a representative participate in each of the ten concurrent workshops.