Grafton residents who want a space to let their dogs run free will have to wait a little longer.
The town recently rejected a proposal by the Grafton Dog Owners Group (DOG)-created by fourth-year veterinary student Ginger Browne Johnson-to use public money to help finance the park using funds from the Community Preservation Act (CPA).
The proposal, which was for about $10,000, would have provided fencing for the yet to be constructed park.
The CPA is a fund that is funded through an additional tax on residents, which is then matched by state funds.
At a town meeting on May 10, the attending members of the town voted 86-66 not to approve the measure. DOG can reapply for CPA funding next year.
Even though the vote was a setback, Johnson promised the group would redouble their efforts for the park.
"Many humans still have an innate fear of dogs as wolves," she said. "It just comes out of fear and ignorance."
At the vote, several members of the community brought concerns of liability the town may have for an incident at the facility. Johnson said the community would not be responsible for any action - as long as the town was not negligent in managing the facility.
Grafton Selectmen Peter Adams said he voted against the proposal not because he opposed the park, but because he did not want to use town money to fund it. "We needed to put the money into affordable housing and not into a dog park," he said.
The proposal was also hampered by the town's Finance Committee, which after a review recommended against the DOG proposal. Although the committee's actions are not binding, Johnson said the word carried "a lot of influence" with the community.
The Finance Committee did not return calls for comment.
The town is also still in the process of selecting a site for the park, which has not yet been approved by the Board of Selectmen. DOG has been in tentative discussions with the Land and Recreation committees.
Two main sites are being considered. One is a capped landfill and another is a former gravel pit. Johnson said both sites were attractive, but she said the landfill site faced some concern because it was a former waste repository.
The second location is a 50-acre site which is currently empty except for a town water pumping facility. The town has proposed creating an area that would include ball fields and recreational space for the location.
Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Susan Mills, who voted in favor of DOG's proposal, said the proposal was promising. "The gravel site has a lot of things in its favor," she said. "The whole intent of that piece of property is a multi-use park, and the dog park would fit in with that."
Although Johnson praised the location, she said the additional work required to create such a facility could cause further delays, possibly up to three years. For Johnson, the construction of a park would complete a mission she has carried her entire Tufts career. The dog park project began in 2000, when Johnson studied dog parks as part of the school's selective program.
According to the Vet School's website, selectives are elective courses that devote one to two mornings or afternoons per week to a "professional or personal development endeavor." Students can select from a list of offered programs or can design one based around their own interests, as Johnson did.
The program is one of several programs that the school offers to students in addition to a basic education in veterinary medicine.
Vet School Public Relations Official Barbara Donato said the school did not have an official position on the dog park.
"We aren't involved simply because it's a student project," she said. At the same time, Donato added that the school encouraged students to get involved in the community on these types of efforts.
The school has recognized DOG as an official student organization through the SCAVMA, the student chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The group was able to use the SCAVMA's non-profit status to apply for grants.
Tufts also lent the use of campus space for the group's annual fundraiser, Dog Daze. This year's event was held May 15 and featured a dog show in addition to cleanings and an appearance by a children's author.
The group has currently raised $11,000, but needs approximately $20,000 to install the necessary equipment in the park. This year's fundraiser brought in over $3,000, a record amount.
Johnson said the group had debated whether to apply for funding from the town. "We are trying to find all of our own funding and not take away from others but at the same time we are residents and pay taxes too, so I think we deserve to get some of our own funding," she said.
At least one opponent of the CPA proposal said not using town resources would influence his support of the facility. "When they first came in front of us, all they wanted to use a piece of town owned land and that was very commendable to me," Adams said.
Some town residents also expressed concerns about diverting town resources from people to animals. Johnson said no money would be taken away from people: rather the park would be a place for owners.
As DOG has expanded, the leadership evolved into a six-person board. DOG is also in the process of becoming an independent organization and applying for its own non-profit status.
The expanding focus reached the community. "Currently the town views DOG as not as a Tufts organization, but a town-wide organization," Mills said. "They are looking to create a park that any Grafton resident will be able to use and enjoy."
Mills also praised the wider Tufts community in their relations with Grafton. "Our economical development commission works very well with Tufts University," Mills said. "They have a very good working relationship."
