Wellesley council approves winter service-level change at township dog parks

Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

To reduce liability and winter-maintenance expectations at dog parks in the township, Wellesley council has approved a service-level change that will see local dog parks left largely unmaintained during winter months.

Township council approved the service-level change at its Jan. 13 regular meeting, where director of recreation Danny Roth presented rationale for formally bringing municipal service levels at local dog parks during the winter months in line with service levels at other township parks and playgrounds.

“This aligns maintenance at the dog parks with current winter maintenance practices at the township’s other parks where they are not maintained in the winter, but they’re not closed for public use,” Roth said. “ … So it’s use at your own risk. And … there could be times when the dog parks and other parks in the township could be inaccessible due to snow and ice in the winter months.”

While councillors seemed to understand the need to clarify for users that dog parks will be unmaintained from the first snowfall until April 15 or when the snow and ice has sufficiently melted to reduce the township’s liability, Mayor Joe Nowak said leaving dog owners in the township without designated spaces for their furry friends to run around could lead to dogs running loose in other township parks and outdoor recreation spaces, resulting in an influx of dog poop in those spaces.

“There’s an awful lot of folks who use those dog parks and, for the amount of time and effort it takes to go in there and shovel some of that snow away after a heavy snowfall, I think it would be worthwhile to continue. That’s what’s been happening over the last two months, and it hasn’t been a significant amount of staff time, I don’t think,” he said.

While Roth noted township staff’s first priority for snow clearing after a heavy snowfall would not be dog parks, Coun. Derek Brick suggested staff make an effort to clear the entrances to township dog parks when possible and that a shovel and a bag of sand be made available to dog-park users so they can help clear snow and ice themselves.

Roth also noted that all gates except each dog park’s main entrance will be locked during winter months to prevent the potential for gates being left open and freezing in place, which has led to dogs escaping and running loose in the past.

Ultimately, council voted to approve the service-level change with a direction to staff to clear snow and ice from the dog park entrances when possible, and to leave a shovel and a bag of sand for users at each dog park entrance.