Selectmen missed the compromise

To the editor:

It is fascinating to hear the spin that is being put on the story of the new leash law at NARA and the reason for it. Suddenly, after eight years of bringing my dog to NARA Park, I discover that the citizens of Acton who went there without dogs have been feeling “unsafe” at the park because my dog, and many others, was off her leash at 8 in the morning. Strange that I and the dozens of other dog owners who enjoy NARA Park had never heard of this groundswell of fear rippling around the park until one aggressive gentlemen in town decided to become a one-man committee to save the park from us and from our pets.

In truth, there has never been a widespread problem at NARA Park nor any kind of loud, sustained or organized complaint about people bringing their dogs there and letting them off leash. But suddenly, not only did this “problem” arise but the town selectmen passed a new regulation without a single dog owner in the room to present an opposing view. Claiming that the meeting was public and therefore we should have all known about it is sidestepping the real issue.

At the end of the day, a large group of concerned dog owners came to the selectmen’s meeting on June 4 and listened as everyone who commented agreed that a compromise — off-leash hours early in the morning and early in the evening — was appropriate. Even the gentlemen who started this fuss in the first place got up and spoke and agreed that a compromise would be appropriate. And yet, the selectmen decided to ignore a reasonable request and put the issue aside until some vague time in the fall when the recreation department might revisit the issue.

This is incredibly frustrating for citizens and taxpayers who want to comply with the rules in the town and still enjoy the privileges that everyone else in town has. There is no reason for this discussion to be put off for the entire summer. Indeed, this is the season when we all can most enjoy the park. I ask the selectmen to come up to NARA park early in the morning to see the reality of the park rather than make assumptions about who is there and who isn’t. 

Given that not a single resident got up to support this regulation at the meeting, it is nothing short of ridiculous that the selectmen choose to ignore a sincere, reasonable suggestion for compromise.

Glenn Rifkin

Acton