A man and his golden retriever Sadie enjoy the dog park at Burbank Park in Pittsfield. Next year West Stockbridge will also have a dog park on about 2 acres of land on the property at Town Hall. Burbank Park also used Berkshire Design Group to design its dog park.
WEST STOCKBRIDGE — When the town asked residents what they wanted on nearly 2 acres of available land on Town Hall property, the response was overwhelming: A dog park.
Now imagine walking paths through the woods, benches for humans to sit on, and two separate areas for the big and small dogs to romp.
Well, it is coming to town early next year. And it’s not just for dog-owners or West Stockbridge residents. All humans and dogs are welcome.
“It’s a way to extend our hospitality,” said Jana Sax, co-chair of the West Stockbridge Dog Park Committee.
“We are very intent upon making this a lovely addition to the town,” Sax added as she hiked with her dogs, Diego, a wire haired pointing griffon, and Frida, a terrier mix on Thursday morning. “And a park that you would like to walk through and sit in.”
Dog or no dog.
This committee of volunteers is currently working with Berkshire Design Group, a Northampton-based firm landscape architecture and engineering firm that has designed numerous dog parks, including at Burbank Park in Pittsfield.
The dogs owned by members of the West Stockbridge Dog Park Committee, formerly an advisory committee. The group is working on outreach to draw volunteers. The dog park is set to break ground in early 2025.
Committee members will be at the West Stockbridge Farmers Market on Thursday afternoon, as well as at the Zucchini Festival on Aug. 10, to spread the word in hopes of gathering support and more volunteers.
After the committee breaks ground on construction in early 2025, it should take about one month to finish the job, Sax said.
The project is on a timeline tied to a $275,000 grant the committee secured from Stanton Foundation.
The New York City-based charity was established by Dr. Frank Stanton, a former longtime president of CBS News. The foundation gives grants for nuclear security and protection of First Amendment rights — and canine health and welfare, according to the foundation’s website.
“The Foundation’s support for canine welfare includes research, traditional grant-making and direct service programs to promote the welfare of dogs and strengthen the human/dog bond,” the website says.
The committee learned that the foundation, in December 2023, would end its grantmaking program for dog parks in Massachusetts. So the volunteers rushed to apply.
The committee also received a $25,000 mix of state and local money from the town’s Community Preservation Committee. Voters approved this in May.
Soon, the committee will also establish a nonprofit, The Friends of West Stockbridge Dog Park, to fundraise. It now has a Facebook page.
The park will require some clearing of a wooded area. Of the Stanton grant money, $25,000 will go toward design and $250,000 toward construction. The grant includes an extra $30,000 a year for three years for upkeep.
Crouton and Lula are Michael Bolognino’s dogs. Bolognino is co-chair of the West Stockbridge Dog Park Committee, which is now working on designs for a park on Town Hall property.
The construction will involve adding ground cover, some walkways, fencing, signs, benches, handicap parking and plantings.
A 1-acre slice will be devoted to large dogs, and three-fourth of an acre to the little dogs.
But really it is a “social outlet for all species,” said Michael Bolognino, a full-time West Stockbridge resident who restored a former rectory — known as The Filomena — in town with his husband.
“I know that one thing I love about visiting dog parks is the people I meet there,” said Bolognino, who has Crouton, a miniature poodle/terrier mix, 11, and Lula, 3, a wirehaired pointing griffon. “When we travel I always find a local park, like in Provincetown, and it’s there that I’ve gotten some of the best suggestions on things to do in the area, where to eat, et cetera.”
Bolognino said he loves the solitude of parks, “In that I sometimes bring a book and hang out on a bench reading while the dogs do their thing.”
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