NORTHAMPTON — The Parks and Recreation Department is considering creation of a new off-leash dog park somewhere in the city following public outcry over a policy passed by the Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School trustees that requires dogs to remain on leashes at the Smith Farm Fields.
Wayne Feiden, director of the Northampton Planning & Sustainability Department, said the city is “actively looking at options for an off-leash dog park somewhere in the city.”
The quest to create an official dog park comes after Smith Voke trustees endorsed a land-use plan at the network of trails, fields and woodlands known informally as the “dog park.” The board must submit the plan to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to renew its lease.
The 282-acre property off Burts Pit Road is owned by the state, leased by the city and run by the school, raising questions about who is entitled to use the land. Many dog park users expressed disappointment following the board’s decision, saying complaints about their pets’ impact are overblown.
For years, people have engaged in “passive recreation” at Smith Farm Fields including off-leash dog walking, disc golf and organized foot races although none of those activities is technically permitted under the state law governing the agricultural land.
The trustees decided to submit the new, stricter plan after an October 2015 draft allowing “passive recreation” was rejected by the state because it lacked structure, according to Superintendent Jeffrey Peterson.
“It allowed virtually everything to happen,” Peterson said at the Tuesday trustees meeting. “It was denied by the state.”
If approved by state agriculture officials, the new plan would require dog owners to keep their pets leashed and remove all dog waste. It would also require groups wanting to use the land for organized events to get permission in advance, and issue a standing no-trespassing order to give the school “recourse” if an individual disobeys the rules.
Gerard Kennedy, spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, said Thursday it is “likely” the new plan will be approved by the state.
“We’ve been working with Smith for some time now,” said Kennedy. “I’m comfortable saying the plan is going to be approved.”
The department’s focus is to ensure any non-agricultural use of the land does not impede the agricultural uses for which it is intended. The previous plan Smith Voke submitted did not make clear how “passive recreation” would not impact farmland, Kennedy explained, so the state could not approve it.
If the new plan were rejected at the state level, the department could continue working with the school and city to draft a plan that satisfied all parties involved and “make sure” a plan is accepted, Kennedy said.
Kennedy said the department wants to maintain the high school’s lease. A final draft of the new land-use plan had not been submitted to the state as of Thursday afternoon.
Although the city is still looking for locations to consider, Feiden said the park would likely be a more traditional dog park in a “smaller fenced area” instead of an open piece of land like Smith Farm Fields.
Carol Owen, a Northampton resident who has been walking her dogs at Smith Farm Fields since the 1980s, said she hopes officials and residents can find a way to make off-leash dog walking work at the current location rather than creating a new, fenced-in park.
“I’m not sure where it would be,” Owen said Wednesday of a new park. “Fenced-in dog parks can become a public health nuisance.”
Feiden agreed the project would require planning and a community effort to succeed, but he said the issues are “solvable.”
“There are two main issues,” said Feiden. “Finding the right piece of land … and maintaining the structure.”
Although Northampton has not determined parameters for a potential dog park, a 2009 study by Wenatchee Parks and Recreation in Wenatchee, Washington, stated an “ideal site” for a off-leash park would be “in excess of one acre in size, would not be in an environmentally sensitive area … and would have adequate parking.”
Feiden said the city may lean on volunteers to help with maintenance rather than city staff if a new dog park is created. Now, a volunteer-driven committee provides plastic bags and a garbage can to encourage the proper disposal of dog waste at Smith Farm Fields.
Next steps for a new off-leash dog park, including funding and possibly hiring a consultant, remain to be determined, Feiden said.
Ann-Marie Maggio, the city’s recreation department director, is leading the project according to Feiden. Maggio was unavailable to comment Thursday because she is on vacation.