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Thursday, December 8, 2011

Committee on Public Health and Safety to Take Up My Community Path Concern...

Image of Community Path Extension to Lowell Street. Courtesy of OSPCD.

After a recent run in with an unleashed dog on the Community Path section close to Cedar Street, I requested an order to be submitted through the Board of Alderman to discuss this issue in committee.

Unleashed dogs have been doing the most running on the Community Path, causing a public hazard for cyclists and pedestrians alike while their owners congregate at the benches by Lexington Park unaware of what is happening.

Does this impact you? Please comment below!

The order reads: "That the Chief of Police advise this Board on the safety measures in place in the Lexington Park area of the community path with respect to dogs off leash" and was referred to the Committee on Public Health & Safety at tonight's Board of Alderman meeting. Meeting time and location will be posted when they become available.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Unleashed dogs.....
Dogs poop not picked up....
Dogs, leashed and unleashed throughout the city; and in parks and playgrounds where posted not allowed....nothing new in Somerville.
The Community Path is just another place in the city where some dog owners don't give a damn about complying with "the right thing to do."

Police look the other way unless a complaint is filed.

Animal Control officer will take action if offenders are seen, but the Animal Control Officer is just one person covering the whole city.

huge said...

Courtney,

I have been involved with this issue for a while. I've been contacting aldermen Gewritz and Donovan, as well as the mayor and the police for couple of yours. Sometimes even by formal. They are sympathetic but nothing ever gets done.

Hugo

Courtney said...

@ Anonymous & Hugo,

Thanks for commenting! Here are my suggestions...

1.) Lets put bins in the Magoun Square CVS where people can put their plastic bags. Rather than recycle them, lets put them in containers up and down the Community Path, so people have bags available for "pickup"
2.) I would like to see a consistent enforcement plan implemented by the SPD and the ACO that targets the path at specific times such as the 5pm after work time that I see everyone congregating across from Lexington Park during the summer months.

Would either one of you be willing to attend the meeting when I post the information? It probably won't be until after the first of the year.

huge said...

I definitely would be willing however not before the Jan 15th. If it's before then i could possibly prepare a statement. I could possibly send you copies of my correspondence with aldermen regarding this issue.

Anonymous said...

It's too big a negative universe for consistent and controlled enforcement by the ACO and/or the SPD; they can't be everywhere, and at the times that many dog owners seize the opportunity to do the wrong thing.

Re the ACO---After 5:00 PM? Before 8:00 AM? To my knowledge the ACO only works normal daytime hours.

The SPD?----as mentioned above, unless a complaint is filed, each shift has other more important priorities----at least by the orders of staff officers.

It's not about consistent and controlled enforcement---altho we would like it to be, its not to be.

It's about compliance by dog owners who know full well when and where, times and places, they can get away with creating a public nuisance.

Anonymous said...

By the way, about the Community Path. It's a fact, it is regularly physically patrolled by Command pre-authorized "Directed Patrols" assigned to the Ward 5 Officer. Such patrols to be conducted at various interims during the officer's shift.

But again, the Ward Officer cannot be there exclusively his/her entire shift.

The "Directed Patrols" were ordered primarily because of past robberies/muggings incidents at the Path; not because of errant dog owners.

Not to say a patolling officer should ignore dog owners who allow their dogs to run off-leash, or not pick-up their poop.