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).