NORTHAMPTON — After about 25 years of tension and toe-stepping, a dispute over the use of old State Hospital property now known as Smith Farm Fields may be nearing a resolution.
Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School trustees are working with the state, charged with renewing the city’s lease on the property commonly referred to as the dog park, on a proposal that could reconcile the land’s agricultural designation and public access to it.
The 282 acres — most commonly used by farmers, runners, dog-walkers and disc golfers — is owned by the state, leased by the city and controlled by the school, to which the land was given for agricultural purposes when the Northampton State Hospital land was divided up. In the years since, residents and visitors have come to use the land for a variety of recreational uses currently not permitted under the state law governing the land, explained Mayor David Narkewicz , a member of the school’s board of trustees.
“Neither the city nor Smith Voke has discretion,” Narkewicz said during the trustees’ meeting Tuesday.
Six residents spoke heatedly on the issue and about twice that number showed up to support dog-walkers’ continued use of the property.
“An outright ban would only make things worse,” said Northampton resident M. Francisco Palomo. “At this point, you have a very strong group of allies willing to help police and to maintain.”
Residents spoke of the property as a treasure and urged trustees to resolve the issue.
“No one’s ignoring this by any stretch of the imagination,” Chairman Michael T. Cahillane said, adding that the issue has been very much on the trustees’ radar.
After hearing from the crowd, Smith Vocational Superintendent Jeffrey Peterson read aloud a letter from John Lebeaux, commissioner of the state Department of Agricultural Resources. Lebeaux stated that the department could not renew the land use plan submitted last October.
“I do not find (the plan) totally acceptable and will not approve it in its present form,” Lebeaux wrote. He did state, however, that the proposal is “well on its way to meet our mutual needs.”
The plan as submitted would allow for “passive recreation” on the trails and in wooded areas only, for a probationary period. Lebeaux’s concern appeared to be that it did not provide enough details on how public access would be managed.
Dog-walkers present at the meeting presented ideas for moving forward. Judith Fine, liaison for the dog-walkers and founder of the 150-member online group, called for trustees to recognize that the community has made every effort to comply with their demands. She also proposed fencing the property and adding “humorous signage,” and she said Riverbend Animal Hospital has agreed to donate $1,000 for that.
“Smith has some signs up there that are pretty ineffective,” she said, adding that signs like “pick up the poop” would accomplish more than those more sternly worded. “Humor is a great equalizer — it allows people to say, ‘Oh, I can do that.’”
Fine also said that Northampton Veterinary Clinic donated a post at the head of the trail with 8,000 bags for owners to use for picking up after their dogs.
“If you walk the trails now, there’s almost no dog feces,” Palomo said.
“I’m spending a lot of time on this so I’d like a resolution,” Peterson said during the meeting.
On the issue of enforcement, Narkewicz reminded those in the room that Northampton Police officers have no authority to enforce land-use regulations, but he said after the meeting that they do — as with any other land in the city — have the jurisdiction to enforce no-trespassing laws.
Cahillane said the issue would be addressed during the May 17 meeting, during which he said trustees will likely vote on an amended proposal.
Rachel Volberg, Northampton resident and UMass professor, said after the meeting she’s been active in the group since she helped with a survey of dog-walkers in the fall. She said she and the other volunteers have helped out by picking up after others and educating other dog-walkers at Smith Farm Fields.
“The access issue has been so long-standing, it would be nice if we could find some kind of resolution,” Volberg said.
“We have a safety and health issue,” Cahillane said after the meeting, referring to one woman at the meeting who said she had been attacked by two different dogs on two occasions.
In addition, Cahillane said, dogs defecating in the area of crops creates a cleanliness issue and dogs and athletes running around heavy agricultural machinery poses safety concerns.
“The volunteers that organized this are dedicated and committed and I applaud them,” Cahillane said. “We’re ready to bend and flex and work with them but we need more direction.”
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.