[responsive_youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ9SD00S8cM]
Responsible Urbanites for Fido (RUFF) President Leslie Horn and Chairperson Amy Hand reached out this week to the North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association (NEWRA) regarding a dog park pilot concept for Parcel 12 on the Greenway. Parcel 12 is the highway ramp parcel that runs parallel to Cross Street and Surface Road on the Greenway adjacent to the Armenian Heritage Park. The parcel stretches from Commercial Street to North Street and is divided by the Big Dig exit ramp onto Surface Road.
RUFF has successfully managed the renovation, operation and cleanup at the Richmond Street dog run with the help of land owner MassDOT. The group also has monthly cleanups throughout the North End streets and parks.
RUFF explains in the video presentation that one of their motivations to secure a larger dog park area is to draw dog owners from other park areas where dogs are often running unleashed such as Christopher Columbus Park. RUFF also believes it would reduce dog waste on the streets and help activate an unoccupied area of the Greenway.
The group is willing to work on fundraising for the pilot program and has had preliminary discussions with executives at the Greenway Conservancy. More information on RUFF can be found at www.RUFFBoston.org.
I commend RUFF for their continued advocacy for a much-needed dog park and unwavering efforts at educating dog owners about picking up after their dogs.
I am hopeful their efforts will result in the creation of a dog park, be it at Parcel 12 or elsewhere.
Keep up the great work!
Why is this not being considered for human use? like a park for kids or something? Not trying to be snippy, just wondering why dogs not people?
There is so little park space in the neighborhood for it to be turned into a dog park. There are more practical places to own a dog in the city.
huh? nearly the entire back of the north end is park space. there is also columbus park and the greenway. if you want that much park space, perhaps you and not the dogs should move outside of the city.
In effect what you are saying is people and families should accommodate dog owners who made the choice to move to a crowded neighborhood with little park space, and anyone else should simply leave. It’s also your choice to portray dog owners that way.
The children have many spaces at their disposal; the Gassy, Christopher Columbus park, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, with fountains and sprinklers for them to cool off in the summer. That area is spacious, and they can spread their wings and continue on down the Greenway.
There are the ball parks on Commercial Street, where the older ones play baseball all day and hold concerts. There is also a new playground in that area, closer to the water, in addition to the pool during the summer months.
What we ARE lacking is a space where dogs can play, and you can rest assured that RUFF will keep it clean.
There is a dire need in the North End for a designated, fenced in space where dogs can be legally let off leash to exercise and relieve themselves. Presently, our neighborhood is one of the few remaining places in all of Boston without an official dog park. (The space on Richmond St. is an unofficial dog park owned by the DOT, supervised, cleaned and maintained by responsible dog owners, not the city). The number of dogs in the North End is large and growing, and a dog park would help keep dogs (and dog waste) out of our parks and ballfields. RUFF should definitely be commended for all they do to encourage dog owners to be responsible neighbors, and for their ongoing efforts to bring a dog park to the North End!