Boothbay Region Land Trust has been in conversation with the Town of Boothbay regarding the possible development of a community dog park.
Background: Strong Support for Dog Park
For many years, the town of Boothbay has been aware of the strong community interest in developing a dog park. Several years ago, the renovation plan for Harold B. Clifford Playground included a dog park. However, complications and concerns resulted in the dog park being removed from the Clifford park redesign. Still, the town continued to review options that would fulfill this community need.
BRLT has also been aware of the need for a place truly dedicated to allowing dogs to enjoy open space where they and their owners can interact with other dogs. While dog access is a bit outside of our organization’s conservation mission, BRLT does have an interest in supporting outdoor recreational resources in our community. We also understand that by having a designated space for dog owners to allow their pets off leash, we can alleviate pressure that dogs might otherwise cause to more sensitive conservation areas in the region. In this way, having a dog park can be a win for both community engagement and conservation.
Location: Cross River Preserve
In the past year, the town approached the land trust to discuss possible collaboration on a dog park project. In particular, the town saw potential in the current Cross River Preserve location. Cross River Preserve features several positive attributes that make it well suited for a dog park location including that it lies within the town of Boothbay and it is centrally located with easy access right off Route 27. The history of Cross River also supports the development of a permanent community facility on site.
In 2013 BRLT’s proposal to the town of Boothbay to acquire the town-owned Cross River Property included a vision to build a permanent nature center and land trust headquarters along with parking and recreational trails. When the town held a vote in 2014 to turn over this land to Boothbay Region Land Trust, it did so with the stipulation that the land trust would build a nature center of no less than 1,500 square feet, a parking facility and a trail system.
In the years after receiving the Cross River Preserve, the land trust installed a parking area and trail system, and it continued to fine tune its vision of the nature center headquarters. Then, in 2017 something very unexpected happened. Owners of a 32-acre saltwater farm off Oak Point Road in Boothbay Harbor approached the land trust with plans to sell the property and a strong desire to see the land conserved. Ultimately the property became Oak Point Farm, and its historic farmhouse came to serve as the land trust’s nature center and headquarters. However, BRLT remained mindful of the Cross River preserve and continued to explore possible pathways for community benefit at that location given that building an additional nature center would not add value to the community and would be cumbersome for the land trust to manage.
When the town proposed the possibility of utilizing a section of the Cross River land to develop a dog park, the land trust understood the potential to provide a true community resource on this land gifted to BRLT by the town. In the subsequent months, BRLT has carefully discussed this possibility with its lands committee and board of directors. According to the legal language in the conveyance of the Cross River Property from 2014, if Boothbay Region Land Trust does not follow through on plans outlined in that document within 15 years of receiving the property (by 2029), including building a 1,500 square foot nature center on site, the town reserves a right to repurchase the property for one dollar.
In the interest of both supporting a significant town request, and developing a plan that might supplant the town’s original agreement with a project more suitable to current needs, the land trust is negotiating the conveyance of a portion of the Cross River Preserve to the town of Boothbay for the purpose of developing a dog park in return for a release from the condition to construct a nature center on the preserve.
Town to Own and Manage Dog Park
As part of these ongoing conversations with town leadership, Boothbay Region Land Trust has emphasized a few key limitations. Our organization does not have the capacity to manage a dog park, and the management of a dog park would be outside of our organization’s mission. Consequently, the Town of Boothbay will be responsible for both development and management of the dog park.
Land Trust Prioritizes Conservation
The goal is that Boothbay Region Land Trust will continue to hold and maintain a publicly accessible nature preserve on the majority of the Cross River property, including all frontage on the Cross River. Part of negotiations will include a way for BRLT to ensure that the property can be returned to land trust ownership in the event the Town no longer wants to operate the land conveyed to it as a dog park, or the Town wishes to convey the land to a third party. Finally, transferring land to the Town of Boothbay will be done on the condition that this transfer fulfills the requirements set in the original 2014 conveyance, and nullifies the need for BRLT to build a nature center on site.
It is the hope of Boothbay Region Land Trust that by working with the town of Boothbay to support a dog park, we can both serve the needs of the community, while also conserving the sensitive habitats on the Cross River.
We value the ideas and opinions of our members and community, so please do not hesitate to reach out to BRLT Executive Director, Nick Ullo at nullo@bbrlt.org or call the office with any questions.
