Voters reject funding to relocate North Canaan dog park

NORTH CANAAN — Voters rejected using $6,800 in state funds to relocate North Canaan’s existing dog park at a town meeting Monday, Aug. 3.

The proposal failed 65 to 46, with two blank ballots among the 113 votes cast.

Sandwiched between a children’s playground and a softball field, the current dog park has raised safety and logistical concerns, but finding a suitable new home for it has proven complicated.

First Selectman Jesse Bunce emphasized that the Aug. 3 vote concerned only the use of Local Capital Improvement Program funds — not whether the dog park should be moved or where it should go. LoCIP provides state funding to municipalities for eligible capital projects, including improvements to public buildings and recreational facilities.

“Tonight you’re voting on using LoCIP funds to move the dog park,” Bunce said. “You’re not voting on the location. We have four potential areas where we’re looking to put it.”

The dog park is within Bunny McGuire Park, next to a children’s playground and adjacent to the softball field. The area is also used for community events.

In an interview after the meeting, Bunce said safety was the primary reason for considering a move. He recalled seeing a dog come off its leash and enter the playground during a town event.

“Luckily, no real damage was done, but he [the dog] did knock a child down,” Bunce said. “I feel like we should try to make our kids as safe as possible.”

Softballs have also been hit into the dog park, while players have sometimes had to contend with dogs walking across the field, Bunce said. He said representatives of the local softball league have expressed concerns about the dog park’s location and offered to maintain the grounds if it is moved.

Town officials have identified four alternative sites.

One is near the former Boy Scout building and daycare at Sam Eddy Field. A resident objected, saying local Boy Scouts regularly use the property.

Another is town-owned land near the municipal parking lot behind NBT Bank on Main Street, close to the community garden and the Colonial Theatre. Bunce said the site could be accessed through the municipal lot and is outside the wetlands setback.

Residents expressed concern that dog park users might instead enter from Foot Avenue, a dead-end street where neighborhood children ride bicycles. Bunce said after the meeting that he was likely to rule out that site.

“I don’t want to have residents upset,” he said. “I want to try and put this in a spot that’s easily accessible, but away from children as much as possible.”

The other possibilities are near the Town Hall parking lot as well as on Whiting Drive by the sand and salt pickup area. Bunce said the Whiting Drive site has parking, and is his preferred option.

The vote did not require the dog park to remain at Bunny McGuire Park. It only prevented the town from using the proposed LoCIP funding for its relocation.

Bunce said one resident offered to donate the $6,800 needed to cover the cost of the move. He plans to hold a public hearing on whether the dog park should be relocated and, if so, where. The Board of Selectmen will then decide how to proceed.

“Ultimately, if everybody says, ‘We don’t want this moved,’ we will take that into consideration,” Bunce said.