Selectmen offer dog park land

This view of the proposed dog park space looks down the property while standing with I-84 behind the photographer. (Marjorie Needham photo)

This map shows the piece of town-owned land offered for use by the Middlebury Dog Park. The blue shaded areas are protected wetlands. The unshaded areas are not wetlands. Long Meadow Road runs down the left side of the map; I-84 is at the top.

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

The Middlebury Board of Selectmen, at its Feb. 16 meeting, suggested the Middlebury Dog Park Committee might find a home for the dog park on some town-owned property on Long Meadow Road just south of the I-84 overpass.

Dog park Chairman Beverly Dassonville said First Selectman Edward B. St. John said the property is about 85 acres, but much of it is wetlands. He told her to take a look at the property and if she didn’t like what she saw the town would find her something else.

“I’m very excited,” she said. “Once we have some land I think people will come together and be there when we need them for clearing the land and helping fence it.”

Dassonville said she plans to tour the property with town engineer John Calabrese in March after the snow has melted. She said the property does have a fire hydrant near the road, so water is available. However, she said, “This might be too rough to develop.”

Dassonville has been working since 2013 to get a dog park in Middlebury. That’s when she entered the Beneful Dream Dog Park contest in an attempt to win funding for it. She made it to the finals, but someone else walked away with the first prize. Since then, she has put together a committee to raise funds for the dog park. It has since obtained nonprofit status.