WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday saw regulations that will govern a fence-free "dog park" that the town plans to establish at the Spruces Park.

 

Use of the 114-acre former mobile home park on Main Street has been on the table for the Select Board for more than two years, after a failed attempt by citizens petition to amend the town's leash bylaw at the 2023 annual town meeting.

 

Last September, the board agreed in principle to a plan to designate a section of the park for dog owners to bring their pets off leash.

 

At Monday's meeting, Town Manager Robert Menicocci brought the board a set of regulations that he proposes to post for an 18-acre portion of the park that will be delineated by natural boundaries and colorful "stakes" that the town hopes will keep the animals confined and alleviate the concerns of park users who do not want to be around unleashed dogs.

 

The Spruces Park, which was obtained by the town under the terms of a Federal Emergency Management Hazard Mitigation Grant following Tropical Storm Irene, is subject to FEMA regulations regarding the installation of objects — like fences — that could impede the property's function as a regulatory floodway.

 

Menicocci on Monday showed the board a set of rules for a "Dog Area … delineated by a vegetative buffer … open for off leash dogs seasonally after the buffer has established in the spring."

 

Select Board member Matthew Neely asked if the plan is to plant a hedge row or some type of vegetative border that will help define the off-leash area.