2002-11-19City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Board:
Parks and Recreation Commission
Subcommittee:
Commission and BARC Subcommittee
Date:
November 19, 2002
Members Present:
Kevin Hobin, Gary Simpson, Patti Adams, Robert Jerin, Bill
Collins, Donna Furse, June Van Knowe
Members Absent:
Bruce Doig, Deb Davis
Others Present:
Arthur Sullivan, Acting Recreation Director, Ron Costa,
Councilor
Meeting Called to order at 7:05pm by co-chair Kevin Hobin
th
Minutes
The acceptance of the minutes for the November 6 meeting was
postponed due to the absence of the secretary.
Old Business
Signage A draft of an informational sign for Lynch Park was submitted. There was
discussion regarding the general nature of the sign, which is to address
many issues and not meant to single out dogs or their owners. The
telephone number provided is for a line in the Recreation Department and
is connected to a separate answering machine. A call to the Recreation
Department will allow for a response to the information left by a caller.
There was discussion regarding rules for the park. The Parks and
Recreation Commission is currently working to standardize the rules for
all parks.
A motion was made by Patti Adams, with a second by Gary Simpson to
accept the sign as amended:
GUESTS of LYNCH PARK
Any Questions,
Comments, Concerns
Please Call
978 921-8318
Beverly Parks and Recreation Commission
The vote was 7-0. The sign must be presented to the Parks and
Recreation Commission for approval.
Fees The topic of raising the dog license fee to $15 was discussed. The
additional $5 would be used to hire a part-time ASO for May to
September. Among other duties, the part-time ASO would be present in
Lynch Park during the hours of 6:00 – 8:00 am.
There was also discussion regarding raising fines for violations of the dog
ordinances. Mr. Lindley will report on the process of raising these fines.
Information still needed:
1. How to get the additional $5 fee earmarked for dog-related issues.
2. How will the additional $5 fee be overseen and allocated.
3. How are dog funds allocated in the general fund?
New Business
Dog Park There was discussion about an off leash dog area in Sally Milligan Park.
An off leash area should be a separate area, not used by other patrons,
e.g. scouts, sports.
There was discussion regarding a joint venture with the City of Salem to
create a dog park at McCabe Park. Members felt that the committee
should confine its work to Beverly for the near future. An off leash area at
Bessie Baker is seen as the easiest option at this time. A public hearing
will be necessary to create a dog park at Bessie Baker Park.
There was also discussion regarding an off leash area at the dump off
Brimbal Ave. There is a flat area along the slope near rt. 128. Also, there
is an area for parking. A fenced in off leash area would be separated
from playing fields that might be located on the top area in the future.
Public
Education There was discussion that a public education campaign will be essential
to the success of any program that is put in place. Suggestions include
press releases, information mailed with dog license renewal notices and
to include veterinarians in the publicity campaign.
An inquiry was made to use different color dog tags for Beverly dogs.
The discussion included that it would make it easier for the ASO to
enforce the ordinances.
Program A program was discussed for this summer (2003), and to be re-evaluated
during the “off” season, and needs to be done before re-licensing. The
discussion included establishing evaluation criteria to see if the program
is a success or is in need of some adjustments.
There was a discussion regarding changes to the current ordinances. If a
change is necessary, then public hearings will be required. If the
proposal the committee recommends is for a trial program, then an
ordinance change is not required. After the program is evaluated, then an
ordinance change to incorporate this proposal will be necessary.
There was discussion of ordinances, 1973 Ch.4 under the Animal Control
Chapter and 1991 Ch.16-3 under the Parks and Recreation Commission.
The Parks and Recreation Commission is responsible for the operations
of all public parks in the City.
There was discussion regarding the timeframe to limit access to the park.
There was also discussion regarding areas off limits all year to dogs,
namely the Rose Garden, playground area and playing fields. There was
also discussion regarding the program as a pilot program, to be in place
this summer, and reevaluated after the season. Discussion included
leaving the current 1991 ordinance in place, and using the pilot program
to allow access to the park. Also, the dates to limit access were proposed
stst
to be May 1 to October 1, with a time frame from 6:00 to 7:45 am, with
dogs on leash and cleaned up after.
A motion was made by Robert Jerin, with a second by Bill Collins to
accept these initial points of the Pilot Program:
1. Restricted access for dogs from May 1st to October 1st.
2. Dogs allowed from 6:00 am to 7:45 am
3. Dogs on a leash and picked up after
4. Areas off limits include:
a. Gardens
b. Playing Fields
c. Playground Equipment
5. There would be an increase in the dog-licensing fee of $5 to pay for a
part time ASO to help enforce this program in the parks.
6. This would apply to all parks for a one-year trial period. This program
would be evaluated in one year to see if adjustments are necessary.
The vote was 4-1-1.
Next Meeting, Tuesday, December 3, 2002, 7:00pm at the Beverly Public Library.
Meeting Adjourned at 9:05pm