Residents Pack Conservation Committee Meeting for Dog Park Debate

FOXBOROUGH, MA - Despite rumors to the contrary, Morse Street has not been selected as the site for a dog park.

Speaking to a packed audience during a sometimes tense discussion, the Conservation Commission formally backed a proposal by Town Manager Bill Keegan to form a dog park working group, similar to the one used for the new Town Hall.

The committee would determine if the town wants a dog park, and if so, what type of park and the most logical location. No members have been selected, but Keegan is aiming for a mix of town board members and residents.

“What we want to do is develop a location that is the least controversial to the people affected by it,” Keegan said.

Residents from Morse Street, however, were under the impression that a location was found on their road. Last week, several residents wrote to the Foxboro Reporter in opposition to a rumored proposed dog park between Morse Street and the train tracks. Some residents said they heard the commission was ready to send certified letters to the abutters of the property and potentially vote on a site at the meeting.

Members of the Conservation Commission also appeared unfamillar with plans to move forward with Morse Street.

“This was presented me as more than a rumor,” Morse Street resident Terry Howe told the board. “You should work backward and figure out how this rumor started.”

Keegan said a vote on a new dog park would likely go to town meeting, due to the importance of the issue.

“The whole town is wide open for the new dog park,” Commission Chairman Robert Boette said.

According to Boette, the Morse Street site was one of eight or nine sites studied for a dog park, but the MBTA-owned land was instead used as a parking lot for Foxborough residents who use the Mansfield train station.

Recently, State Rep. Jay Barrows informed the board that the MBTA is willing to sell or lease the land, but the site is not feasible for a park, Boette said.

Additionally, a land purchase would have to be approved by the Board of Selectmen.

A notoriously contentious topic from years ago, a dog park was opened in 2006 on Mill Street. About two years later the park was closed by then-Town Manager Andy Gala, using the Town Manager Act of 2004.

An appeal from dog park advocates was shot down in 2011. By the appeal denial, the town spent $75,000 in legal fees.

For commission member Valerie Marshall, the letters and emotion in the room were a flashback to the original debate.

“I think there has been some miscommunication and that happens with an emotional issue. For those who lived through it, it was not fun,” she said. “I don’t think we can undo what’s happened but I would like to go forward and create a process.”

A discussion on the dog park is expected to take some time. Selectman Jim DeVellis said they have a busy schedule leading up to May's town meeting , with Keegan agreeing that the board will likely be unable to address the issue until post-town meeting. The town manager did say that he is looking for a restart with the proposed working group.

“What we want to do it report out the information as it comes out. No one likes surprises and we want to make sure the information gets out and people can get behind it, he said. “At the end of the day, not everyone is going to agree. If we can get a good majority to agree, that’s a good process.”