Copyright berkshireeagle
WEST STOCKBRIDGE — It took more than two years of planning and town permitting. But the recently opened West Stockbridge Dog Park, behind the soccer field and tennis courts at Town Hall,, is drawing raves from dog owners and their cavorting canines. “Our goal is to create a welcoming park where dogs can run and play off leash and give our town a new place to come together and build community,” the volunteer nonprofit group friendsofwsdogpark.org said in a news release. The five-member group raises funds for daily maintenance and cleanup chores to be handled by a third-party waste collection company at the scenic 1.2-acre wooded site. The annual maintenance cost is estimated at about $6,000. Members are responsible for fundraising to support the maintenance and future improvements of the park. Divided into enclosed “All Dog” and “Small Dog” (25 pounds and under) sections, the park is open daily from dawn to dusk year-round on the town-owned site at 21 State Line Road (Route 102). Organizer Michael Bolognino, a leader of the separate all-volunteer West Stockbridge Dog Park Committee, pointed out that the park is drawing patrons from well beyond West Stockbridge. Just off the Massachusetts Turnpike, the site also is expected to attract visitors and serve as a tourist draw for the town. The committee served as a liaison to the town about the idea, getting the required permits, managing the design and construction process, and now manages the actual maintenance and volunteers of the park. During a walk-through at the park last weekend accompanied by his dogs Crouton and Lula, Bolognino told The Eagle that while the facility is not actively monitored, there’s an extensive list of town-approved rules posted at the entrance. Among the musts: Dogs must be at least 6 months old, licensed, current on vaccinations, spayed or neutered and wearing a collar and tags at all times. Also, they have to be within view and voice control of the owner/handler at all times, leashed when outside the gated enclosure, and off-leash inside the dog park. No detail was overlooked — there’s a canine water fountain and a separate one for their two-legged companions, and the trail through the woods will include benches for the dogs’ human escorts. Most of onstruction cost of the park was covered by the Stanton Foundation of New York and Cambridge, with an initial $25,000 design payment for the Berkshire Design Group. The winning construction bid of $232,000 was awarded to Clark & Sons of Belchertown. The foundation paid $208,200 and the town's share. Another $23,800 was funded by a Community Preservation Act grant. According to its website, the foundation gives grants for nuclear security and protection of First Amendment rights — and until now, canine health and welfare. Organized by former CBS President Frank Stanton before his death in 2006, the foundation awarded its final dog park grant to West Stockbridge. It required that the town cover 10 percent of the construction cost. The project initially was guided by the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, which conducted a local survey of town needs that found robust support for a dog park. “We had a lot of hoops to go through,” Bolognino acknowledged, including approval from the town’s Conservation Commission, a special permit from the Planning Board and oversight by the Select Board. Four potential sites, including land at Card Pond, were explored before the untouched town parcel emerged as the choice, in part because it offered existing shade for the dogs — a Stanton Foundation prerequisite — along with adjacent parking. “We wanted it to feel like you’re in the woods, a park humans and dogs would like, not just a patch of grass,” said Bolognino, an Albany, N.Y., native who moved to West Stockbridge full-time six years ago. The most popular visitation times include before and after work on weekdays and anytime on weekends. During planning and permitting, some initial pushback from residents was tamped down at public forums when they learned there would be no ongoing taxpayer consequences. Reaction to the park has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Bolognino, a life and career coach who used to work in tech, including for Google, for 20 years. Regulars include an Otis resident and his dog — they used to make a longer trip to the Pittsfield dog playground at Burbank Park. Still to come: scheduled events including training sessions with the Berkshire Humane Society based on Barker Road in Pittsfield. “This is a great example of townspeople coming together to do something challenging,” Bolognino said.
