A fourth meeting aimed at resolving ongoing conflict between dogs and neighbors of Arlington's parks was held Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Senior Center. The aim of the four meetings, which began Nov. 6, is to find a compromise between those who would like the town's leash law relaxed and those who want it enforced. The result could be a warrant article for the spring 2009 Town Meeting.

Meetings were held Nov. 6, 13 and 20 as well as Dec. 4.

Participants in the Nov. 20 meeting said the Dec. 4 session was to again mainly cover Mt. Gilboa, McClennen Park, Turkey Hill, Hill's Hill, Hurd Field and the Reservoir. Representatives of the Summer Street Neighborhood Association said they did not get enough notice for the Nov. 6 meeting.

Participants in the Nov. 20 session said those present appeared to be considering compromises rather than simple opposition to off-leash areas. There was extended discussion of the fee for dog owners to support off-leash areas. The fee is expected to partly cover hiring someone who will visit off-leash areas.

The previous meetings and topics:

Nov. 6: Discussion of Heights Area Dog Areas, specifically Mt. Gilboa, McClennen, Turkey Hill, Hill's Hill, Hurd and Reservoir;

Nov. 13: Discussion of East and Center Arlington Dog Areas, specifically Spy Pond/Hornblower, Spy Pond Park, Magnolia, Thorndike and Waldo;

Nov. 20: Discussion of Central Arlington Dog Areas, specificially Menotomy, Robbins, Water Tower, Ottoson Woods and Poet's Corner.

Mayer and Rowe were involved in a series of meetings in 2007 and 2008 in which the public provided public feedback about the town's so-called "Green Dog" proposal. The aim of those sessions was to craft warrant articles for the 2008 Town Meeting, but no article was submitted by the meetings' organizers. Two articles, 28 and 29, were brought to Town Meeting, but the meeting voted no action on both, in part because of significant differences of opinion among residents about how best to manage dogs.

Mayer wrote in an e-mail Oct. 26: "We do hope to have a Green Dog proposal for a pilot program to submit to Town Meeting this year. One that has been more fleshed out in answering outstanding questions from last years meetings. These meetings in Nov/Dec are a continuation of the Green Dog effort to further discuss a pilot proposal with the neighborhoods ...

"Green Dog is seeking to create a town-wide compromise for public land use between those residents who wish to recreate with off-leash dogs and those residents who do not want to encounter off-leash dogs in our recreational spaces."

Other sources said off-leash issues came to a head at the selectmen's meeting Oct. 6. A large group of residents, split about 50-50, in favoring and opposing allowing dogs off-leash.

Many specifics for the upcoming meetings remain to be spelled out, and those details may emerge only at the first session, but one proposal provided to YourArlington shows areas in town that could become off-leash areas. The following is a draft and remains to be discussed:

** No dogs on- or off-leash in beach area from May 31-Sept. 

Part of what sparked the Oct. 6 discussion before selectmen was a Sept. 13 letter from Mona Zeftel, who lives not far from Robbins farm Park. Her letter to selectmen had 86 signers. They included those who own dogs and those who don't.

The letter asked the board to allow them to let their dogs off-leash a few hours a day in the upper back corner hill of the park. Under a town bylaw, that is not now permitted.

The letter noted that early in the morning and late in the afternoon, an estimated six to nine dogs are in a limited area of the park. At many other times, this part of the public park is empty. She said neighborhood dog owners would act responsibly regarding their pets.

Not cited in Zeftel's letter but reported by others who attended the Oct. 6 meeting was an incident involving the town's animal control officer in which he called for police backup after a complaint about off-leash dogs was called in.

Among those with an interest in this issue is a group called Arlington Dog Owners Group, or A-DOG. For more about the group, see www.arlingtondogowners.org.

Those who support the current town leash law have no know organization, but its representatives are expected to be present in force.

The original version of this story was published on YourArlington on Oct. 26.