State agriculture officials are right to insist that the 282-acre parcel commonly known as the “dog park” remain first and foremost a gem of education-oriented farmland.
But those same officials should recognize that the land holds plenty of room for other responsible recreational activities, including foot races, disc golf games and, yes, people and their dogs. In recent months, a core group of those recreational users have made clear that they are committed to treating this gem with the respect it deserves – and they deserve to be rewarded with continued access.
Control of the land situated above Smith College at the downtown’s western edge is complicated; it is owned by the state, leased by the city and managed by the trustees of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School. Smith Voke students learn by farming the fields and maintaining the woodlands, which benefits not only the students but also residents and visitors who enjoy the richness of having a working landscape next to a college campus and bustling downtown.
The patchwork of fields, woods and hillside burial ground for patients at the former state mental hospital must remain unsullied, a goal that has become increasingly complex as more people flock to the property. Particularly troubling were dog owners who didn’t control their pets and clean up after them as they roamed woods and fields.
After officials made clear that public access to the park might disappear if the dog poop did not, pet owners rose to the challenge. Led by downtown business leader and avid trail user Judith Fine, a group of volunteers began exhorting fellow pet owners to control and clean up after their pets. They installed a clean-up bag dispenser and trash can at the entrance to the trails and regularly take on the job of emptying it.
As was observed at Tuesday’s meeting of the Smith Voke trustees, the effort has worked. No longer does the stench of abandoned feces fill the air by the parking lot, and it’s rare to see any pet waste littering the trails. The improvement is noticeable, and it should be rewarded by school trustees and the state working together to shape a plan that works for all.
“An outright ban would only make things worse,” Northampton resident M. Francisco Palomo told trustees at the meeting. “At this point, you have a very strong group of allies willing to help police and maintain” the property.
Under the current arrangement, non-agricultural uses of the land are technically illegal. But state officials are considering a land-use plan shaped by school trustees and community members last fall that would officially recognize the public purpose of multiple uses.
The plan would allow “passive recreation” on the trails and in wooded areas only, for a probationary period. Smith Vocational Superintendent Jeffrey Peterson said state agriculture officials are not yet ready to sign off on the plan, demanding more details on how public access would be managed. However, state agriculture commissioner John Lebeaux said in a letter that the proposal is “well on its way to meet our mutual needs.”
The details can be devilish, of course, but we hope Peterson and others involved in the negotiation will pin them down in a way that would keep the land open to all – all responsible users, that is. A public gem is something to be treasured, not soiled.