BREWSTER – Brewster selectmen have agreed to hold off on a vote which, if successful, would have established a town dog park on a parcel of land adjacent to the Brewster Police Station.The decision comes as uncertainties remain surrounding the total costs, and funding sources associated with the endeavor, which has been in the works for years.
At a meeting last month, selectmen directed Town Administrator Michael Embury to discuss these issues and seek additional information from Brewster’s Dog Park Development Committee.
The Committee has had issues finding a suitable location for the future park and has faced opposition from potential abutters as well.
Calls for the park reached a fever pitch 5 years ago when the town’s Board of Health attempted to ban dogs From Drummer Boy Park. The ban was eventually rejected by the courts, but calls for an off leash dog park in Brewster intensified nonetheless.
As part of the research process, the committee conducted an informal survey of more than one thousand dog owners across town.
“In short, the dog owners that participated were supportive of the concept of a dog park as an amenity in the town,” Brewster Dog Park Committee Chairman Thompson Lincoln told selectmen, “Their usage would be primarily determined by convenient location and the size and configuration of the park.”
Should the selectmen find the finances of such an arrangement feasible, the park would utilize 2 acre of a 32 acre town-owned parcel behind the police station. Proponents argue that the location is large enough to provide a buffer, isolating the park from neighbors.
“Your Dog Park Development Committee unanimously supported the motion to recommend the municipal property behind the police station to the selectmen as the most appropriate space for a dog park,” said Lincoln, “there are few negatives and many positives associated with the site.”
By DAVID BEATTY, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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