AMHERST — The committee sniffing around for an appropriate site for the town’s first dog park is asking for the public’s help.
The 11-member Dog Park Task Force, which began meeting in June, is putting out a call to help identify suitable sites that could be given to the town, said Jim Pistrang, the task force’s chairman.
“Our big hope is land doesn’t have to be purchased (and) that we get a donation,” Pistrang said Monday.
The committee would like to find a three-quarter-acre to 2-acre site that could be obtained at little to no cost, and which is somewhat distant from homes.
The task force is charged with coming up with a plan for building a dog park, a place where dog owners could bring their pets to run, play and socialize, and which would supplement the conservation trails where some restrictions are in place, including having to keep dogs on leashes at most times.
Both the full committee and a subcommittee focused on finding sites have discussed the locations that might be appropriate for building a dog park, such as town-owned recreation land, land under the jurisdiction of the University of Massachusetts or the private Amherst and Hampshire colleges, and other privately owned property.
“We brainstormed and went through all sites and what might be available out there and what it might look like,” Pistrang said.
Task force members concluded that the dog park can’t supplant community uses, especially those places being used for sports.
“We don’t want to take existing playing fields since those are are already at a premium,” Pistrang said.
Requirements are that the location will need to have parking, with at least 20 spaces, and that potable water should be considered, but not necessary, so people can keep their dogs hydrated. But there will be no requirements for water features, such as streams or fountains, which actually pose risks from having stagnant water.
“Our general consensus is that is not necessary,” Pistrang said.
Other objectives are to have a site sensitive to neighbors, and to have a park with separate areas — one for larger dogs and one for smaller dogs.
Pistrang said observations from other towns with dog parks, including Granby, Greenfield, Holyoke, Agawam and Westfield, is that they should not be restricted to residents, but that visitors, too, should be able to use them.
“It’s seen as a very positive thing for the town having a dog park,” Pistrang said.
The Stanton Foundation, which provides communities up to $225,000 for building dog parks, doesn’t make the purchase of land eligible. Pistrang said there are no cost estimates yet.
The task force has formed five subcommittees, including the design subcommittee that will look closely at the features that it should have. The design will be tied to the location and any constraints.
The subcommittee on design will meet July 18, the subcommittee on funding July 25. The full committee meets again Aug. 15. All will be held at 7 p.m. at Town Room at Town Hall.
Two other subcommittees will focus on the rules and regulations governing the dog park once it has opened, and how to maintain it in perpetuity.
Pistrang said that he is confident that the task force can move quickly on ideas as there remains significant interest in the community two years after building a dog park was first broached.
The task force is being assisted by Animal Welfare Officer Carol Hepburn and Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek, who both serve on the committee, and getting support for the project from Town Manager Paul Bockelman.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
