West Stockbridge and Lee — About two years in the making, the West Stockbridge Dog Park will open its gates on October 5.
The celebration at the dog park—that is adjacent to Town Hall—is planned from noon to 3 p.m., with a pet parade at 12:30 p.m. “Creative costumes—human and animal—are definitely encouraged,” West Stockbridge Dog Park Committee Chair Michael Bolognino said in a news release.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m., and attendees are encouraged to bring donations of unopened pet food to be given to a local pet food pantry. Pet accessory vendors The Berkshire Pet and Let’s Find Your Bliss will also be on hand for the festivities, and a live drawing for a pet portrait from local artist Vivian Outlaw will take place at 2:30 p.m. Tickets for that raffle can be purchased at Baldwin’s Extracts in West Stockbridge or online.
Local canine hero Rika, whose name is short for “paprika,” will be joining the celebration. Rika is part of a national organization of first responder therapy dogs that provide mental health support to firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, dispatchers, and corrections officers. She is also a nationally certified crisis-response dog, enabling her to be active in the wake of disasters.
Along with Outlaw, sponsors of the event include Chez Pet, Ella May’s Ice Cream, The Floor Store, BTC Entertainment, Stone House Properties, the West Stockbridge Farmers’ Market, Queensboro Wine & Spirits, Troy’s Garage, Serendipity Waterside, and Shaker Mill Books.
The Select Board approved the project’s 1.15-acre site plan, designed by Berkshire Design Group, earlier this year. The park includes separate areas for small- and large-sized dogs.
The project is funded through a $275,000 grant from the Massachusetts-based Stanton Foundation combined with $25,000 from the West Stockbridge Community Preservation Act as the latter was passed by citizens at the May 6, 2024, Town Meeting. The park’s maintenance, including third-party waste collection, will fall to the nonprofit Friends of the West Stockbridge Dog Park coordinated for that purpose.
Donations to support the measure are appreciated by the group, and commemorative bricks to be installed at the park’s entry pathway are available for purchase. That information can be found here.
“We are so grateful for the town’s generous support of this project and the donation of the nearly acre and a half of land that the park now occupies,” Roni Kramer, a Dog Park Committee and nonprofit group member, said in the release. “Now it is up to the community to support this resource.”
Lee mulls adding a dog park
Just as West Stockbridge employees were putting their final touch on the town’s new amenity, the Lee Select Board discussed a preliminary proposal to add a dog park within its borders during the group’s September 16 meeting. The issue came from a recent Parks and Recreation Committee meeting, with that group having been formed recently. A potential donor was cited as one possible source of funding for the project, according to Lee Select Board Chair Sean Regnier.
Although the board bantered about part of the East Lee Playground off Marble Street as one possible site due to its unused softball field already boasting partial fencing, Wildcat Sports Group founder and President Simon Borrett voiced concerns over using the fields for such an endeavor. Wildcat Sports Group offers soccer, softball, and baseball programs to local youth, and he said the organization may have a future interest in the field as it grows. Borrett stated he was unaware of the proposal and questioned the Select Board making a decision that would remove youth-centric land in favor of a dog park. “I would ask the Select Board to consider the needs of the youth once more,” he addressed the dais, adding the large impact his programs have had on the lives of local children.
Borrett suggested that issues exist that may not have been contemplated regarding the proposal, including the cost of insurance and liability for a dog park as well as ensuring canine users are vaccinated and the park’s workings are regulated. He also queried as to what entity would be responsible for cleaning the park and at what cost.
According to Regnier, the site was contemplated because it was “fitting for a lot of what the needs of a dog park would be.” A line on a rudimentary sketch of the project showed the approximately one-acre area divided into a one-third section and a two-third section, a division he said represented a way to avoid interfering with the existing small playground and basketball court.
“It seemed like a potential spot where we can improve the area and add something the community’s been wanting without spending taxpayer dollars,” Regnier said of the park area that is not currently used. “If we’re going to do something like this somewhere in town, we don’t want to interfere with other programs that go on in town.”
Select Board member Robert “Bob” Jones confirmed that many constituents have approached him over the years requesting the amenity and noted such a site would need to have some “essentials,” such as the availability of water and improvements required to accommodate a dog park.
“A number of parks were looked at, but I think all of the others had been listed as having some type of use,” Town Administrator Christopher Brittain said. Before moving the project along, he said the Parks and Recreation Committee wanted to see if there was interest in developing a dog park.
Select Board member Gordon Bailey advocated to involve organizations that have used the East Lee fields in the past as well as local neighbors in the discussions.
Regnier said the issue will be revisited at an upcoming Parks and Recreation Committee meeting. “We may just find that there’s got to be another location,” he said of the proposal.
