As taxpayers, we pay to support thing for the common good, like schools whether or not we have children, like fire departments and ambulance corps, and libraries even if we don't borrow books. But a dog park, which will require fencing and a few other expenses, is no more for the common good than a radio-controlled model airplane field would be. Okay, it's a matter of degree, and certainly there are far more dog owners than there are R/C enthusiasts, but where do we draw the line? Do I get a cat park? How about a Kart track, I'd love that...

This project should be supported either by donations from dog owners who actually want to bundle their pets into their cars and schlepp them over to Angola Road to use it, or by some kind of usage fee. I favor the former, and if you don't get enough donations, don't fence it. The whole things strikes me as being just a bit elitist--a dog playground for people with time on their hands to drive somewhere to play fetch with the miniature-horse-size dogs that seem to be so much the style these days.

Personally, I would welcome a dog park, and I don't have a dog or cat or go-cart.
To say that park is underutilized is an understatement. Minus the kids hanging out and destroying the tables, you could count on one hand the visitors that use it.
If anyone wants to see a dog park in action, head over to Thomas Bull Park in Goshen any afternoon. I've seen a dozen people happily socializing themselves and their dogs most days.
As for the cost, maybe that dog license fee could address it. Add a dollar or two to the fee and you're good to go. No cost to tax payers for the upgrade.

One reason it's under-utilized may be that Cornwall is the most over-parked community in the county, maybe the state. Donahue Park down by the river, Pagenstecher Park, Riverlight Park by the town pond, the part of Palisades Park that includes Storm King, 3,400 acres of Black Rock Forest and its hiking trails, the considerable area of trail-laced woodland behind the Nature Museum, the Angola Road park...it's a wonder there's anywhere for people to live.

I'm not saying I wouldn't welcome a dog park, I just don't want to pay for it, any more than dog owners would want to pay for my proposed gerbil park.

Our taxes are high enough, I hope we do not have to pay for a dog park!

Denise Peters

Is Stephan Wilkinson a writer for SNL or The Daily Show?! No doubt the park will "pay for itself" with the parking sticker fees and/or access pass fees that will be charged! And what will the insurance costs be to the town when someone's Great Dane bites the head off of someone's Pomeranian?

No doubt that the park will "pay for itself" what with the parking sticker fees and/or access pass fees that will be charged. And what will the insurance costs be when somebody's Great Dane bites the head off of someone else's Pomeranian?

They have dog parks all over Mass. and there is no issue with the towns getting sued ... A dog park is designed to be a grasslands environment where dogs run ... What money are they intending the spend? Grass seed? The only cost I could see is fencing ... I pay school taxes and dont have a kid, let people with kids pay for a dog park

Read my first post, please.

As much as I am in favor of the dog park, I also question the timing of this endeavor. Although it is true that those without children should also benefit from tax revenues, at some point wise choices for spending has to happen and this one at this time, just does not make the grade. As I consistently mention the Town could hire a grant writer to raise the needed revenue to carry out a project like this. I am sure there is some foundation for domestic animals that would provide funding.

Stephan - Just reread your first post - I totally support using school taxes to buy new school books, add special ed teachers, enact reading and math programs, add tutoring for academics - I do not appreciate my money being spent on football, baseball, track, or chaperones for dance - They are not educational. Does this mean we can partition off the % of my school taxes from extracurriculars to pay for a dog park?

What I really question is where is this great cost coming from? It would require fencing and some other minor costs - some benches perhaps? ... This is the least expensive project I have heard of to date.

Bill, The parking spaces were removed through cronyism.