THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, FEbrUAry 21, 2025 Page 9 DOG PARK | FROM PAGE 8 fencing separating a small-dogonly area from the rest of the park. The small-dog area will have its own dog run and play area separate from the rest of the park’s amenities. Both the large-dog area and the smalldog area will have double gated entrances for safety. The total size of the dog park is proposed to be approximately 0.64 acres, with the large-dog area totaling approximately 0.50 acres and the small-dog area totaling approximately 0.14 acres. ConCom members had a chance to question Sparages about the project after his presentation. Commission Member Bill Leuci wanted to know whether the project included plans “to rejuvenate the whole park.” “An area like this, you should have something for the small kids as well as the big kids,” Leuci said. Later in the meeting Leuci asked whether the park plans were ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) compliant. Leuci expressed concerns about a senior citizen falling and not being able to get up. Commission Member Petkewich wanted to know what the estimated usage of the park was, whether there was a dog limit and whether there was a breakdown between the ballfield parking and the parking for the dog park. Sparages said 50 cars in the parking area would be a conservative guess. He didn’t have any information on a breakdown on the parking and said there was no limit on the number of dogs. Public feedback favored the park Dog park advocates outnumbered the opponents to the dog park. Several of the residents who turned out to speak against the dog park left the meeting early and never testified. Richard Lavoie, creator of the Dogs of Saugus Facebook Page, said the change.org petition drive for the dog park has garnered more than 400 signatures. Lavoie called the dog park “a well-thought-out idea.” The change-org petition he’s promoting concludes: “This amenity would be the only space in Saugus where offleash play is legally permitted for dogs other than the small park that is located in Breakheart Reservation which is not easily accessible to handicapped and seniors.” Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Jeffrey Cicolini, who is also a member of the Dog Park Committee, said town officials wanted to make sure that all concerns about the park are heard. “We don’t want to jam it down the public’s throat,” Cicolini said. At the same time, Cicolini was vocal in his support of the project and noted that the town is ready to make an investment with security cameras and an assistant animal control officer assigned to the area. The design and construction of this park will be primarily grant-funded through the Stanton Foundation, which has provided design and construction grants for dozens of dog parks across the Commonwealth. “We’re also committed to start a ‘Friends of Saugus Dog Park.’ We’re going to make this park for residents,” he said of the park’s supporters. A dog park would be a substantial improvement of the current area, which is now occupied by a basketball court and a tennis court, according to Cicolini. “What’s going on in that park now is a disgrace. There’s drugs and drinking,” he said. Cicolini said people have misconceptions about the potential harm that a dog park could cause to wildlife that live in the area encompassing Stocker Playground. “We have more activity on the rail trail than before,” he said, noting that bikers and hikers get to see eagles now, where they didn’t before. Town Manager’s Office Administrative Aide Jeannie Meredith called the project “a major environmental improvement to the area.” Dog park opponent Julie Mills said she is concerned about the potential negative impact on wildlife. “Eagles are breeding and nesting at Stocker,” Mills said. Mills also cited Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution, an amendment that protects public open spaces, as a key barrier to plans for the dog park going forward. “The request to put in this dog park should have gone through Town Meeting,” Mills said. “It needs a two-thirds vote of the Town Meeting. If it receives two-thirds vote, it then goes to the Legislature,” she said. Precinct 3 Town Meeting Member Mark V. Sacco Jr., who has advocated on behalf of abutters and residents who live near Stocker Playground who oppose the dog park, wrote a letter to the ConCom urging members to delay their vote. Sacco didn’t attend the meeting. “By proceeding without the required two-thirds Town Meeting vote, the administration is not only sidestepping legal obligations under Article 97 but also ignoring the original intent of the deed that has protected Stocker Playground for nearly a century. This sets a dangerous precedent for repurposing protected public lands without proper due process,” he wrote in his letter. “Given these serious legal and ethical concerns, I urge the Conservation Commission to take no further action on this proposal until the required Town Meeting vote has occurred. Allowing this process to move forward under the current circumstances would be an endorsement of an unlawful overreach by the administration,” Sacco wrote. DOG PARK | SEE PAGE 10 A CLOSE-UP LOOK: The proposed dog park would use .64 acres of the 6.35-acre Stocker Playground, about 10 percent of the property. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler)
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