FRIENDS OF FONTICELLO PARK

During the pandemic shut down in 2020, all organized sports at the baseball fields came to a halt. During this time of social isolation, many came to use the baseball fields as a safe space to run their dogs. The park eventually placed “no dog” signs at the entrance of the fields and used heavy chains and locks to prevent people from entering. This didn’t stop people from using their park and fields to exercise their dogs in a safe way in a large expanse of unused space.

In October 2022, the Friends of Fonticello Park circulated a survey about the placement of a potential dog park (results). The need for a dog park had already been established after reviewing the comments on the Master Plan and the Parks and Rec survey (Sept 2022). This survey asked where people would like to see a dog park placed from the options devised by the committee. The results were fairly split between the two designs, with several people asking “why not go bigger”.

The Board felt the demographics of survey respondents was not inclusive or representative of the community. There have been discussions about how to solicit more inclusive feedback. At the March 2023 meeting, a group of dog owners showed up to the meeting to advocate for the dog park as a safety issue. Several dogs escaped the ball fields in March were running through the park and in the road. The Board will hear community feedback about a dog park at the April meeting.