GILFORD — Paw prints in the snow at Stonewall Park on Monday showed that a dog had been there recently.
A proposed regulation before the Board of Selectman at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 in Town Hall seeks to prohibit dogs from this and other town-owned ballfields.
“The purpose of this regulation is to prevent, in so much as possible, anyone visiting a Town ballfield, (players, coaches, parents, spectators, etc.) from the adverse effects of contact with dog feces,” the draft regulation states.
“Dogs are prohibited from the grounds of Stonewall Park (situated at 36 Stone Road) and the Village Fields (situated at 27 Belknap Mountain Road). This prohibition shall encompass the entire property at each location and shall be in effect on a year-round basis, 24 hours per day.”
Thom Francoeur, recreation commission chairman, said the panel recommended the no-dog policy after meeting with board members of Cal Ripken Baseball on Feb. 3.
“You’ve got kids playing baseball and softball and it’s not good to have feces all over the place,” Francoeur said. “It’s not fair to ask little kids playing baseball to shovel and rake the fields.”
The draft regulation says the select board can make such a rule under RSA 41:11-a, which gives the panel the authority to manage all real property owned by the town and to regulate its use.
Several people commented on The Laconia Daily Sun’s Facebook page about the proposed policy, with most lamenting that people don’t do a better job picking up after their pooches.
“I’m sure this has come about because so many not so responsible dog parents don’t clean up after their fur babies,” Brenda Nault wrote. “Wyatt Park is a land mine in the spring and summer. People need to clean up or be fined.”
Under the proposed regulation for the Gilford ball fields, a first offense would carry a fine of $25, a second offense would be $50 and a third offense would be $100.
“Failure to make payment for a fine as indicated on a citation with seven days of issuance shall result in prosecution in District Court,” the draft regulation states.
The regulation would take effect April 1.
There is an exception to the regulation:
“Service dogs and emotional support dogs shall be allowed at the ballfields provided that (a) they are accompanied by the owner who is able to produce a doctor’s note on official letterhead; (b) the dog is not vicious or aggressive; (c) the dog is on a leash at all times; and (d) all dog waste is promptly and properly disposed of.”
(1) comment
Someone should inform the town of Gilford that dogs can't read.
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