Thirteen members of the public attended the regular meeting of the Board of Aldermen, Thursday, October 13, 2005, expecting that the Board would receive a communication from the Commissioner of Public Works, Stanley Koty, designating an off-leash recreational area in a portion of Nunziato Field. In accordance with Municipal Ordinances, Section 12-51, Dogs in Parks and Playgrounds (amended 14 July 2005), any such designation becomes effective forty-five days after the meeting of the Board of Aldermen at which it is submitted, unless the Board orders otherwise.

The thirteen Somerville dog owners who attended the meeting were not disappointed. Item number 67 on the agenda was a communication from the

Commissioner of Public Works, requesting approval of the proposed off leash dog recreation area at Nunziato Field.

There were another two items of interest to Somerville Dog owners on the Agenda:

30. from Alderman at Large, Denise Provost, ordering

    That the Director of SPCD and the Commissioner of Public Works mark the proposed off leash area for Nunziato Field in a highly visible way, post the plan on the fence, and seek comments from sports teams and the general public.

42. from Ward Five Alderman, Sean O'Donovan, ordering

    That the Director of SPCD evaluate the placement of a dog run in the bike path area of Ward 5.

Early in the meeting, Ward Three Alderman, Tom Taylor, requested a suspension of the rules to hear the items together and out of order. The Board approved the suspension of the rules.

Stanley Koty and Carlene Campbell, the City's Liaison to the Dog Owners Task Force, were invited to present the proposal for an off-leash recreational area. Campbell advised the members of the board that they had received copies of a print out of the PowerPoint presentation that she had given at a Community Meeting in the Cummings School Auditorium, Thursday, October 6.

Ward Seven Alderman, Robert Trane, asked how soon the area could be opened for off-leash recreation.

The Commissioner explained that he understood from a conversation with the Board President that the matter would be referred to committee.

Ward One Alderman, William Roche, stated that he had been unable to attend the Community Meeting because he was at his grand-daughters' soccer practice in Nunziato Field. He added that he has seen the plans for the proposed area and that he was ready to vote on the designation of an off-leash recreational area in Nunziato Field.

Alderman Taylor stated that he attended the Community Meeting and that there were two outstanding concerns that he wanted to raise on behalf of his constituents before the matter was brought to a vote. First, he wants the opportunity to solicit feedback from the Youth Soccer Program and other groups that permit the park for special events. Second, he observed that the City has not made any funds available for this project and wanted the opportunity to revisit the possibility of finding funding to complement the fundraising efforts of the Somerville Dog Owners Group.

Campbell recalled that no money has been designated for off-leash recreational areas in the 2005-06 budget. Rather, the Board approved the establishment of a revolving fund so that the City could receive contributions for off-leash recreational areas. There is $3400 in the Somerville Unleashed Fund.

Ward Two Alderman, Maryann Heuston, stated that she, too, was ready to vote on the matter, and that we could continue to work on finding sources of funding. She added that the Somerville Dog Owners Group has impressed her with its commitment to promoting responsible dog ownership and with its caution in advocating for options for off-leash recreation that will not unduly stress our open spaces in Somerville and that will truly benefit our community.

Alderman O'Donovan voiced his support for the proposal and added that he had submitted a related item for the agenda, number 42, requesting the designation of an off-leash area in Ward 5 in the area of the Community Path. He said that he was prepared to vote on the matter, but, because the area to be designated is located in a park in Ward Three, he wanted to defer to the Ward Alderman. He reiterated that the City needs off-leash recreational areas in all seven wards.

Alderman Taylor responded that he would, in fact, like to vote tonight and that he was confident that the issues he had raised could be worked out.

Ward Four Alderman, Walter Pero, offered a caution and reminded the members about an unrelated issue that was brought before the Board a year ago, which, though it seemed to have widespread support at the time, proved to be highly contentious. He advised that the Board err on the side of caution and not risk disenfranchising the one person who spoke in opposition to the proposed plan at the Community Meeting.

Alderman Provost directed the attention of the Board to item number 30 on the evening's agenda, her order to mark the proposed off leash dog area for Nunziato Field in a highly visible way, post the plan for the division of the field on the fence, and seek comments from sports teams and the general public. Presently the City does not require these considerations for public works projects.

Alderman at Large, Dennis Sullivan, said that he would prefer to vote tonight, but acknowledged that the ordinance regulating the designation of off-leash recreational areas provided a forty-five day period before any designation goes into effect.

The Commissioner explained that the proposal process has been extensive: the Dog Owners Task Force has done a terrific job and Carlene Campbell has put in loads of hours on the project. In particular he spoke about the excellent job that Campbell has done in informing the public about this project. He noted that an announcment about the proposed off-leash recreational area was still running on the cable wheel today. He reaffirmed that the proposal has been considered thoroughly, but that, if the Board has any concerns, they should send it to committee. He added that he, himself, has no concerns.

President of the Board, Alderman at Large Bruce Desmond referred the matter to the Committee on Legislative Matters and the Committee on Public Utilities and Public Works.

Alderman at Large, William White, requested that the City Sollicitor advise the Committees if there are any state regulations that apply to the matter.

Alderman Pero, chair of the Committee on Public Utilities and Public Works, with the agreement of Alderman Taylor, Chair of the Committee on Legislative Matters, stated that the matter would be discussed in a joint meeting of the two committees.

Alderman O'Donovan inquired about the item of business that remained open, number 30.

Alderman Taylor recommended that it be directed to the Committees along with item 67.

Alderman O'Donovan requested a suspension of the rules to take up item number 42 out of order and the Board voted to refer it to committee along with items 67 and 30.

Somerville dog owners retired to the Independent for beer.