Windsor Lake Commission Making Trails Dog-Friendly By Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
01:06AM / Monday, May 16, 2016 | |
 The Windsor Lake Recreation Commission last week approved leashed dogs on the trail. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Windsor Lake will become a little more dog friendly this summer.
The Windsor Lake Recreation Commission is recommending the city allow leashed dogs on the trails that circle Fish Pond.
The decision on Tuesday came after nearly a half-hour of discussion on how dogs could be allowed at the lake. Dogs are currently banned from the public beach and trails although campers are allowed to bring their pets, along with proof of vaccinations.
The request came from Christa Abel and Tara Jacobs, representing a group that's been trying to get a dog park in the city.
"We see ourselves as promoting dog friendliness for all of North Adams," Jacobs said, adding that welcoming pets can be an economic booster. The Porches and the new Redwood Motel project are pet-friendly, and her family often choses locations dependent on their "pet friendly" listings.
"When we travel, we've gone to really strange out of the way little town that never in a million years would we travel to except it was pet friendly," she said.
Abel said she often has out-of-town customers in her store, Bark N'Cat, inquiring about dog parks and other pet amenities.
Maybe, they said, an off-leash dog park could be located at the lake, or leashed dogs could be allowed at the Windsor Lake Concert series. Possibly there could be pilot program for off-leash use of the trails.
The commission was open to the idea of making Windsor Lake more accessible but noted there are space limitations to having a fenced-in dog park, and had concerns about waste disposal and how it would affect other patrons of the recreational area.
Chairwoman Nancy Bullett said she was a dog lover, but did not like the idea of allowing dogs the run of the trails.
"I don't think Windsor Lake is conducive to off-leash," she said. "And all the trails are connected."
There is a particularly large dog that has been on the trails with its owner, Bullett said, and while she knows it is friendly, "if you don't know who the dog is, it would be terrifying not seeing that on a leash."
Debra Forgea said she is frequently on the trails, and admitted to having her leashed dog with her. But she said she's encountered aggressive unleashed dogs that were not under their owner's control.
"My concern is over off-leash dogs on the trail .. not knowing what that dog will do to them or their dog," she said. "The city has an ordinance that requires dogs be on a leash."
Commissioner Arlen Cellana, who works for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, said the rules are difficult to enforce at the city and state level because of the difficulty in policing recreational areas.
Abel and Jacobs agreed, saying it was really up to peer pressure amongst dog owners to enforce rules.
The commission decided to recommend allowing leashed dogs on the trail system only; dogs are still not allowed at the beach or playground area. The local 4-H has offered to donate a stand for waste disposal bags.
The commission, however, rejected a request from Campground Manager Cindy Rosenburg to create a lower-priced "family seasonal" package.
Rosenburg said she has been approached by several families interested in just the months of June to late August but who don't want to have to pay the seasonal rate of $1,980. Charging around $1,400 would guarantee about revenue coming in on lots that might otherwise be vacant.
"All we have is the lake. That's why we have to be creative in how we get people in," she said. "We don't have a swimming pool or activities like other campgrounds have ... we have the lake."
But the commissioners felt that creating a new package with the campground's opening only a few weeks away was unfair to those who had already paid for seasonals. The agreed to discuss rates again in the fall to ensure campers could be made aware of any changes.
Rates for the public beach were set a $5 day; and seasonal rates at $20 for residents and $40 for nonresidents.
In other business, the commission:
• Approved a fishing derby for Saturday, Aug. 29, from 8 to 3 for the Lafeyette-Greylock Lodge of Masons. Member Robert Banks said the derby was create for local children and to raise funds for charities, such as Soldier On.
"No kid goes away empty-handed," he said, adding that the Masons would take care of all refreshments and cleanup. "We prepare everything, we provide everything."
• Approved Daniel and Sally Connerton's request for memorial bench for their daughter, Brigit Connerton, to placed near the old children's playground at the beach. Their family loved the lake and spent a lot of time there.
"It would be wonderful for us and our daughter and I think the city would profit from it," said Daniel Connerton.
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