Beecher St. dog park update

After an impassioned meeting regarding the current use of Beecher Street Park, there have been productive meetings and plans are being made for moving forward, according to Boston Parks and Recreation Department (BPRD) spokesperson Ryan Woods and Jamaica Plain resident Nina Robinson, who has organized a group for the park.

Beecher Street Park has been used informally as a dog park for many years, and there have been countless complaints about the park, mostly regarding noise and odor. The park is not technically a dog park, but members of the community erected a sign stating, “Beecher Street Dog Park,” and built a fence along the border of the park in order to create a protected area that dogs can run off-leash in.

A Jan. 11 community meeting was held at Connolly Branch Library to discuss and reevaluate the current use of the park. Rob Rottenbucher, chief engineer of BPRD, stated at the meeting that the wooden fence along the front border of the property would have to be removed because it failed to meet the structural standards of BPRD.

The fence has not yet been removed. According to an email from Woods, the fence will be removed and replaced by the City this spring. He said that the new fence will be safe, secure, and will meet the City’s code.

“We will make sure that an email goes out to the email list that was created at the community meeting to let park users and abutters know about the fence construction timeline,” Woods said. Depending on the construction, this could put the park out of use for a few days.

Woods said that the BPRD has been meeting with other City agencies to try and find a different location for other dog owners in Jamaica Plain, but that there is nothing to report on any other possible locations.

A community group of dog owners and dog walkers was formed at the meeting to find solutions to the Beecher Street Park problems and work with the City. The group is spearheaded by Robinson, a dog owner and resident at Paul Gore Street, who says she has been coordinating closely with BPRD. She said that City officials have been helpful, responsive, and easy to work with.

According to an email from Robinson, the group currently has 110 dog owners, dog walkers, and dog-loving neighbors on the still-growing email list.

“Based on the response I received to a survey I sent out to that email list, the vast majority of respondents are interested in helping with park clean-up efforts and in contributing funds to help with the effort,” Robinson said.

The group planned a community park clean-up day in January, but it was postponed due to severe weather. Robinson said that they will be planning several clean-up days in the spring.

“We are committed to working with the park abutters and BPRD to address the real concerns brought up at the community meeting at the library, particularly the concerns about noise and smell,” Robinson said.

She said that the group will soon be posting rules based on the rules used at other City of Boston dog parks reminding park users to clean up after their dogs, to keep dogs under control, and keep barking to a minimum. She said they are also asking park users to politely self-police each other if dogs that are not their own are making too much noise or exhibiting behavior that may be concerning to the park neighbors.

Members of the community group have been investigating solutions to reduce the amount of dirt and dust that the park neighbors have complained about getting into the air and into their homes when their windows are open in the summer.

Robinson also said that park users have put up a burlap covering over the back fence in the park in order to address an issue raised at the Jan. 11 meeting by an abutter. The man had said that his young daughter could not play in their backyard because dogs in the park bark at her, which scares her.

To join the list to receive updates from the community group, contact Nina Robinson at [email protected].

To send any comments or complaints regarding the Beecher Street Park to the Parks and Recreation Department, email [email protected] or call 311.

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