Responsible Urbanites for Fido (RUFF) President Leslie Horn and Chairperson Amy Hand have started a series of outreach discussions with community groups 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.
This week, the group visited with the North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) and the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park (FOCCP) with some concept diagrams.
Over the past year, 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 from NEWNC shown below 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.
[responsive_youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qx5K2XjMXo]
