Thank You Somerville DPW!

Earlier this month park users at the off-leash recreational area at Nunziato Field took up a collection to treat the men and women of the Department of Public Works Parks Department as a token of our appreciation for their maintenance and upkeep of the OLRA. Brian Davis (Brody's owner, left) had the honor of delivering coffee and baked goods from Petsi Pies (285 Beacon Street).

For the great job they do keeping all our parks and open spaces looking great, the Somerville Dog Owners Group thanks the men and women of the Parks Department:

Mark Ardolino
Steve Corbett
Anthony Devita
J.C. Falaise
Joe Hamel
John Kalton
Ron McCollem
Marty Pantanella
Ed Pellegrini
Jaq Preval
Steven Quinn, Foreman

People Locked Out of Parks

On Saturday, Andy Metzger went to Nunziato Field for some catch but, when he got there, the gates were locked. Metzger blogs for Wicked Local, publishers of the Somerville Journal.

Andy says the OLRA adjacent to the field was open at the time when he arrived, but, Andy, I can assure you that people with dogs were feeling your pain:

These folks were standing in front of the locked gates for the OLRA at 8:11 am on Saturday morning, November 20.

This poor guy and his pup were locked out at 8:30.

According to Somerville municipal ordinances (Sec. 12-48), "Parks and playgrounds shall be closed to the public . . . daily between hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m." Violators are subject to a $300 fine (Sec. 1-11 (a)).

For the past two months, however, working men and women have been arriving at the Nunziato OLRA after 8 AM and finding the gates locked.

Ward Three Alderman Tom Taylor has been very sympathetic and has suggested suspending the locking of the gates until the situation can be addressed in away that does not inconvenience and frustrate law-abiding residents who are trying to socialize and exercise their dogs in the morning.

Six people have written letters in agreement with Alderman Taylor's suggestion. The letters were docketed for the public record at the regular meeting of the Board of Aldermen on November 23, 2010.

If Nunziato Field and the adjacent OLRA are experiencing illegal use between 10 pm and 8 am, then the best solution is to catch and fine the people who are breaking the law. Law-abiding citizens should not be bearing this burden.

Support a "Big Belly" Trash Compactor at the Nunziato OLRA

The Somerville Dog Owners Group thanks Ward Three Alderman Tom Taylor for his recent order, at the regular meeting of the Board of Aldermen on August 27, 2009, "that the Commissioner of Public Works install a "Big Belly" solar barrel at the OLRA Dog Park at Nunziato Field."

Please join us in thanking Alderman Taylor and send a him quick note of appreciation.

Open Air Circus Performances This Weekend

The Big Top is up at Nunziato Field, and the Open Air Circus has performances Friday evening at 7:00, Saturday afternoon at 2:00, Saturday evening at 7:00 and Sunday afternoon at 2:00.

A lot of people who do not regularly visit Nunziato Field will be coming to the performances; they may not know they cannot get to the main area of the field from the entrances to the Off-Leash Recreational Area on Putnam Street and Summer Street.

Please be neighborly and help spectators find their way to the Circus so that everyone has a great time at our favorite park.

Community Bulletin Board at Nunziato Field

A community bulletin board has been installed at Nunziato Field in the double-gated entrance to the off-leash recreational area on Summer Street! Community bulletin boards are also being installed at Perry Park, Trum Field, Seven Hills Park, Conway Park, Lexington Park, Lincoln Park, and Hodgkins-Curtin Park.

The City of Somerville has established the following policy for posting notices on the new community bulletin boards:

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD POSTING POLICY

SIGN REQUIREMENTS:

• Posting date printed or written onto all signs, oldest signs will be removed as new ones are added


• All notices should be professional in appearance


• Sign size not to exceed 8 ½ “ x 11”

ALLOWED:

• City and school officials can use boards to promote school and/or City-sponsored events/programs


• Residents and community organizations publicizing, advertising, or promoting non-city sponsored community activities that serve a cultural, social, or educational purpose by strengthening personal or community life in Somerville


• Non-profit and/or for-profit organizations publicizing, advertising, or promoting non-city sponsored activities or services that serve a cultural, social, or educational purpose by strengthening personal or community life in Somerville


• Advertising services/events (babysitting, dog walking, yard sales, music lessons, etc.) are allowed but should be as localized and community-specific as possible

PROHIBITED:

• Advertising or promoting businesses, group fundraisers or events that do not serve a cultural, social, or educational purpose and strengthen personal or community life.


• Blatantly commercial postings


• Political notices/petitions


• Personal notices


• Offensive language and images

The City of Somerville does not, by approving a posting, authorize or endorse any non-City event or activity. All similarly situated entities will receive similar treatment under this policy.

To have a notice posted on the community bulletin board at Nunziato Field, send a copy of the notice by e-mail to nunziatobulletinboard - AT - somervillema.gov.

Enforcement of Rules at OLRA

Thank you, Alderman Tom Taylor (Ward 3), for two orders relating to the Nunziato Off-Leash Recreational Area on the agenda for the regular meeting of the Board of Aldermen yesterday evening:

42. That the City Solicitor and Animal Control Officer comment on the ability of private, for profit dog walking businesses to utilize the Off Leash Recreation Area at Nunziato Field without violating any city ordinances or obtaining any permits.

43. That the City Solicitor and the Animal Control Officer comment on why the posted Rules and Regulations at the Off Leash Recreation Area at Nunziato Field are not being enforced.

These orders are in response to reports that on weekdays at midday, individual dog owners are unable to enjoy the OLRA together with their pets because the park is taken over by professional dog walkers violating the three-dog limit.

I, myself, asked Alderman Taylor whether there is any ordinance prohibiting for-profit business on public property, or requiring a special permit to do so, after I received an e-mail last weekend from a woman who had gone to the dog park on a beautiful day only to find three dog walkers there with their packs of dogs. One of the dogs jumped on her and the dog walker told her that she had to prevent the dog from jumping on her by doing such and such! She told the dog walker, rightly, that no, HE had to control the dog.

In addition to Alderman Taylor's orders, the Board of Aldermen also received a communication from a Somerville resident re: dog walkers in dog parks (item # 165 on the agenda).

Arliss the Pug and Friends

[via the somdog-discussion group]

Loren, who owns Arliss the Pug, has started a blog to post pictures taken at Nunziato Field. If you have taken pictures at Nunziato Field, you can send them to Loren (lorenbryand * AT * gmail.com).

DOG FANCY Magazine Names America's Best Dog Parks

The Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog) is featured in the June 2008 issue of DOG FANCY, "the world's most widely read dog magazine," as the chief example of how to build a successful dog park in your community!

Congratulations, Somerville dog owners! Take a bow (wow)!

UPDATE 1 May 2008: Maureen Kochan has kindly granted the Somerville Dog Owners Group permission to reprint her article, "The Evolution of Dog Parks," which originally appeared as "Dog Parks: Then and Now" in DOG FANCY, June 2008, pp 36-39.

The Circus is Coming

The Open Air Circus, Somerville's own youth circus, performs this weekend at Nunziato Field in Union Square.

Show times are:

Friday, August 10 @ 7pm
Saturday, August 11 @ 2pm & 7pm
Sunday, August 12 @ 2pm

Tickets are $3

The Somerville Dog Owners Group appreciates that the City of Somerville will allow the Nunziato Off-Leash Recreational Area (OLRA) to remain open the weekend of the Cirucs. We ask dog owners to be courteous to Circus performers and members of the audience.

Please be especially attentive of the double-gates. Though there is no access between the OLRA and the main area of Nunziato Field, people coming to the park for the Circus may not realize this. As users of the OLRA and in the interest of the safety of our dogs as well as the enjoyment of all, please be courteous and take responsibility for the gates.

Thanks to mime and commedia dell'arte instructor, Ian Thal, for posting information about performance times and ticket prices on his weblog.

Thank you to the generous people who use the Nunziato OLRA

On behalf of park users at the Nunziato Off-Leash Recreational Area, on Friday, December 22, I dropped off at the Somerville Department of Public Works Dunkin' Donuts gift cards for each of the twenty employees of the Parks Department and the Highway Department who have helped to make the Nunziato OLRA our favorite municipal open space in the City!

To collect the money to purchase the gift cards, for the past couple of weeks, every time I brought Strummer to the park, I asked fellow park users to contribute a buck or two. Many, many park users participated: A lot of people, who don't ordinarily bring cash with them to the park, asked me when Strummer and I would be back so they could make a donation, too.

Thank you to all my friends at the Nunziato OLRA for being the most generous park users in Somerville!

Old vs New OLRA: Which do you like better?

"Sukisdad" wants to know: "Do you approve of the changes made to the Nunziato ORLA?" Let him know by voting in the poll he started on the Nunziato Forum on the message board!

Stone Dust III

Update 2 December 2006:

Passer-by stop to watch the activity in the Nunziato OLRA, Saturday morning after the installation of the new surface, while park users take a picture to remember a happy moment.

Update 30 November 2006:

The DPW is completing the installation of the stone dust at the Nunziato OLRA today! In addition to leveling the terrain as much as possible, they have also installed drains and "dry wells" under the surface at the Summer Street side of the area which will catch run-off and dissipate excess water underground. The DPW employees expect that the area will reopen this afternoon!

The Somerville Department of Public Works has begun preparing the Nunziato Off-Leash Recreational Area for the installation of stone dust. More pictures are available on flickr.com.

Several truckloads of dirt have been removed from the area to provide a more level surface, which, in turn, will provide better drainage and help keep the stone dust in place. Tomorrow the stone dust will be delivered. The Department of Public Works plans to spread the stone dust on Wednesday and roll it on Thursday.

With a surface of decomposed granite, park users and neighbors will enjoy a cleaner park. The OLRA should no longer turn into a mud pit when it rains, and, unlike the mulch which formerly bordered the area, stone dust neither retains the smell of urine nor provides an environment for bacteria to grow.

Maintenance of the Nunziato OLRA is funded through contributions to Somerville Unleashed, the City of Somerville's revolving fund for off-leash recreational areas. In this season of giving, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Somerville Unleashed!

Thank you to the men and women in the Department of Public Works for improvements to the Nunziato OLRA.

Stone Dust II

The City of Somerville will be installing stone dust at the Nunziato Off-Leash Recreational Area the week of November 27 (weather permitting). The job of installing the stone dust will take five days, and the OLRA will be closed twenty-four hours a day while the work is being completed. While installation is in progress the area will not be safe for park users due to uneven terrain.

The entire OLRA will be resurfaced with stone dust on the recommendation of a landscape architect. Due to the intense usage of the OLRA (it is one of the most-used open spaces in the City), about half of the area has been stripped of grass. The exposed dirt is vulnerable to erosion, and the landscape architects project that, without resurfacing the area, the dirt would continue to wash downhill and mud would collect under the picnic table on the Summer Street end of the park. A surface of stone dust will solve the mud problem.

Stone Dust

UPDATE 14 November 2006, 6:30 p.m.: Alas the weather has not permitted work to begin on the installation of the stone dust at the Nunziato OLRA. Apparently the work has yet to be rescheduled: the notices have been removed. Strummer and I visited the park this afternoon. I was happy to see that the DPW has cleaned up the graffiti from the sign posting the rules at the Putnam Street entrance of the area, and they have moved the second sign to the Summer Street entrance to the park. Thank you, Somerville Department of Public Works!

The City of Somerville has posted signs at the Nunziato Off-Leash Recreational Area stating that the Department of Public Works will be installing stone dust* to replace the mulch along the Putnam Street and Summer Street sides of the OLRA. The job of installing the stone dust will take three days, and the OLRA will be closed twenty-four hours a day for the three days during which the work is being completed. While installation is in progress the area will not be safe for park users due to uneven terrain. The work is scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, November 14-16, weather permitting.

*The City of Somerville has chosen stone dust (decomposed granite) as the preferred surface treatment for off-leash recreational areas where, due to the high volume of park users, grass is not sustainable. Stone dust, which looks like chunky, damp sand, absorbs rain and does not retain the smell of urine ("Cause for Paws: A Look at Pooch-Friendly Parks," Maya Avrasin, Parks & Recreation [National Recreation and Park Association], December 2003).

Why is the Nunziato OLRA closed?

It's a good question.

Somerville dog owners have donated over $7,000 so that families can enjoy safe and legal recreation with our dogs without interfering with other users' enjoyment of open space in Somerville. We are committed to open spaces that serve the many and diverse recreational needs of everyone.

The citizens who regularly use the park look forward to getting together to relax and socialize. And our pets benefit from the opportunity to learn how to behave around other dogs and in the community. Off-leash recreation, when enclosed within a fence, is compatible with and complements other desireable uses of municipal open space.

Representatives of the Open Air Circus say that they did not request that the OLRA be closed. What possible reason could the men and women whom we have elected to represent us and our interests have to close the OLRA just because the Open Air Circus is performing on the other side of the fence?

It's a fair question.

Ask them.

New Double-Gates at OLRA

The Nunziato OLRA will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, June 22, so that the fencing contractor can install the double gate at the Putnam Street entrance and reconfigure the entrance to the OLRA at the tree well on Summer Street. For more information, please contact Carlene Campbell, Community Outreach Director, Office for Strategic Planning and Community Development, City of Somerville: 617-625-6600, ext. 2500; ccampbell at ci.somerville.ma.us.

We will all enjoy safer access at the Putnam Street gate and better access at the tree well when the OLRA reopens on Friday, June 23!

The Circus is Coming!

via Friends of Lexington Park Playground Yahoo! Group

The OPENAIR Circus offers classes in circus skills for teens, children, and adults. Classes are Tuesday-Thursday, meeting in a different location in Somerville each day. Classes begin June 27 and run through July 27. Rehearsals for the end of season performance are August 1, 2, 3 and performances are August 4, 5, 6.

A $10 registration fee covers all classes; $20 for a whole family. Registration is this week, but you can also register at the first class if necessary. Additional registration information, including ages for each class is available online at www.openaircircus.org

If enough adults and teens sign up for any class, OPENAIR Circus will try to arrange special classes.

REGISTRATION SCHEDULE (5:00- 6:30 at each location)

• Tuesday, June 20th, SCAT, Union Square


• Wednesday, June 21st, Foss Park (behind pool [dog|map])


• Thursday, June 22nd, Seven Hills Park, Davis Sq. (Behind Holland St. T entrance [dog|map])

CLASS SCHEDULE
Please confirm class schecule with the OPENAIR Circus.

Tuesdays at Nunziato Field at Vinal Ave. and Summer St. near Union Square in Somerville (dog|map):

• 4:30 Tiny Tot Trio (ages 3-6)


• 5:30 Tumbling for Two (adult plus kid), Balance Beam, Hula Hoops, Diabolo, Ribbon Dancing, Beginning Stage Combat


• 6:30 Beginning Stilting, Intermediate and Advanced Stilting, Acrobatics, Hip Hop

Wednesdays at Foss Park, Broadway and McGrath Highway in Somerville (dog|map):

• 4:30 Contact Juggling


• 5:30 Intermediate Contact Juggling, Beginning Stilting


• 6:30 Beginning Juggling, Fire Twirling

Thursdays at Hodgkins Park, Holland Street near Davis Square in Somerville(dog|map):

• 4:30 Beginning Devil Sticks


• 5:30 Arts&Crafts, Mime, Intermediate Devil Sticks, Intermediate Stage Combat


• 6:30 Baton Twirling, Fire Twirling, Intermediate Juggling, Unicycling

More information at www.openaircircus.org, or 617-947-1191.

Off-leash at Nunziato Field

UPDATE 6 April 2006: The Grand Opening of the Off-leash Recreational Area at Nunziato Field will be Sunday, April 9, 2006, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Last week the fencing for Somerville's first off-leash recreational area (OLRA) was installed in Nunziato Field and the "No Dogs Allowed" signs were removed from the gate to the OLRA!

Still to be completed include the replacement of the existing mulch in the area with a more hygienic surface treatment of "stone dust" (decomposed granite), the installation of the Dogipot Dogvalet™ Dispenser/Disposal Container and the posting of the rules for off-leash recreation.

With the opening of the OLRA, it is to be expected that issues will arise that will have to be addressed. Please share your comments and suggestions in the Nunziato Field Forum.

Also, please be sure to take a moment to thank our elected representatives for their support for a fenced-in area for off-leash recreation at Nunziato Field. Please click on the link below to continue reading for contact information for our elected representatives (and see more pictures!), or download the handy brochure (.doc file) and hand it out to other friends of Somerville dogs.

Let's Be Responsible Out There

via somerville dog

Somerville's first off-leash recreational area will be opening in Nunziato Field in 2006. Until it opens, please be a courteous criminal: Don't enter the park with your dogs when people without dogs are in the park, and when people without dogs enter the park please leave and take your dogs with you. It's an unwritten rule, but it’s better than the one currently posted in the park.

Warning: armed suspect at large

According to today's Journal, a man with a gun is still at large after threatening David Renna, the City's Animal Control Officer, with a gun in Nunziato Field last week. The article does not include a description of the suspect, other than that he was accompanied by a dog. I have left messages with David Renna and Police Lieutenant Paul Upton as well as the journalist, Brock Parker, requesting a description of the suspect.

via the Somerville Journal

Dog owner acts like animal when asked to leash pet

Thursday, November 3, 2005

Enforcing Somerville's leash law is getting dangerous.

Police said a dangerous dog owner flashed a gun at the city's unarmed animal control officer at Nunziato Field last week, because the animal cop warned the man for letting his dog roam free with out a leash.

"He pulled up his shirt [revealed he had a handgun], and said he wasn't afraid of police," said Police Lt. Paul Upton of the pet-owner.

The confrontation between the dog walker and Animal Control Officer Dave Renna was shortly before noon last Thursday at the park near Union Square at the corner of Summer Street and Vinal Avenue.

Renna, police said, witnessed a dog running without a leash in the field and approached the owner about the violation of a city ordinance banning any dogs from running outside without a leash. Violations of the local law are punishable with $25 fine.

But the dog owner argued with Renna about the leash law until the animal cop said he would call police if the pet wasn't put back on a leash.

When the dog owner flashed his gun, Renna called the cops anyway.

Upton said police have a suspect for the pet pow-wow, but no arrests have been made.

Aldermen are currently considering a measure which would allow dogs to run unleashed at Nunziato Field within a fenced-in area known as a dog run. However, the new dog park hasn't been approved, yet.

- Brock Parker