Pro and Con Get Equal Representation in Dog Park Working Group

FOXBOROUGH, MA - The Dog Park Working Group looks to be an even-sided affair.

Town Manager Bill Keegan revealed the makeup of his proposed group at Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting. The group will include three members who are for the dog park and three who are against it. One Representative each from the Board of Selectmen, Conservation Commission, Planning Board, and Recreation Committee will also join the group.

Initially, Keegan had Animal Control Officer Sue Thibedeau, Building Commissioner Bill Casbarra, DPW Director Roger Hill, and Town Planner Paige Duncan in the group, but Selectmen Chairman Jim DeVellis recommended that they serve in a consulting role rather than full-time members.

Chris Mitchell will represent the selectmen.

Selectman David Feldman, who served on the Town Hall Working Group, said this would be a great way to get information.

“You get to have a lot of respectful dialogue. You get people in a room and talk about facts and get the rumors out of the way,” he said.

Selectman John Gray said the board was a way to defuse emotion.

The group will decide if Foxborough wants a dog park. If the answer is yes, the group will then debate what type of park and where it should be located. The goal is to have a consensus by the next Annual Town Meeting.

The group’s first meeting could take place in either May or June, according to Keegan.