'Bark park': Pawtucket plans a second dog park to serve west side residents

Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Providence Journal
·4 min read

PAWTUCKET — As the end of the workday quickly approached on a Monday evening, people and dogs started to stream into the two sides of the dog park in Pawtucket's Slater Memorial Park.

Rosann Santos, of Pawtucket, and her dog, Coco, live about five minutes away from the park and they come nearly every day for hours at a time. Coco gets to socialize with other dogs and Santos gets to socialize with other people, like Bob Rossi of Pawtucket and his dog, Luna.

Like Santos, Rossi lives nearby, just a few minutes' drive away.

City Councilwoman Marlena Martins Stachowiak lives on the west side of the Seekonk River, and for her, getting to the dog park, on the other side of town, is a 15-minute drive, depending on traffic.

Bob Rossi and Rosann Santos often see each other at the dog park at Slater Memorial Park, where they, and their dogs, socialize. Rossi's black lab and beagle mix, Luna, often spends her day sitting next to her owner.
Bob Rossi and Rosann Santos often see each other at the dog park at Slater Memorial Park, where they, and their dogs, socialize. Rossi's black lab and beagle mix, Luna, often spends her day sitting next to her owner.

Now, with $330,000 from recreational bonds, Pawtucket plans to turn a little-used parking lot at the rear of the Fairlawn Veterans Memorial Park into a dog park to open by next spring. A new parking lot will replace the old one, resulting in a total loss of six spaces.

"One of my goals when I first ran was to focus on green space, to revitalize the Fairlawn Veterans Memorial Park and make it a hub for the community again," Martins Stachowiaksaid. "One of my ideas was, I have a pup who loves dog parks and Slater is an amazing park, but it's not convenient for my side of the river."

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When Stachowiak takes her dog to the Fairlawn park, she sees others letting their dogs roam freely on the baseball field. But going to a dog park isn't just about letting the dogs run free. It's about socialization.

Pawtucket City Councilwoman Marlena Martins Stachowiak stands where her pet project dog park will be situated in Fairlawn Veterans Memorial Park, near the tennis court.
Pawtucket City Councilwoman Marlena Martins Stachowiak stands where her pet project dog park will be situated in Fairlawn Veterans Memorial Park, near the tennis court.

The Slater park doesn't just serve the east side of Pawtucket. At 1,300 feet from the Massachusetts line, it draws Attleboro residents on weekdays.

The two parks, Slater and Fairlawn, are about 15 minutes away from each other by car.

Slater Memorial dog park is well used

Attleboro resident Ken Smith, who takes his dogs to parks across the area, said his town's dog park is small and not well kept, and people aren't very friendly there. Instead, he goes to Slater.

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Luz Arango, of East Providence, brought her dog, Nacho, to the Slater dog park on Monday. She lives just over the city line so it's easy to get to. Around 5 p.m. every day, Nacho starts to cry at the door because he wants to go to the park, she said.

"People have respect for other dogs here," Arango said.

Arango said she especially likes that the dog park has separate areas for big dogs, over 30 pounds, and little dogs, as the little dogs can easily be trampled.

Luz Arango pets a dog at the Slater Memorial Park dog park on Monday while her chihuahua, Nacho, gives chase.
Luz Arango pets a dog at the Slater Memorial Park dog park on Monday while her chihuahua, Nacho, gives chase.

Ron Proulx, of North Attleboro, said Slater and the Attleboro dog park are equidistant for him, about a 15-minute drive. He brings his dog to the park every day.

"He won't let me not bring him," he said.

Construction plans for the Fairlawn dog park

Stachowiak, a real estate agent, said homebuyers are looking for amenities like dog parks, which help make a city more walkable.

Stachowiak's preferred dog-park placement was farther into the park, but getting water and electricity for lighting meant that digging up the parking lot next to the Veterans Memorial Park swimming pool would be a lot cheaper.

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The dog park will extend slightly beyond the confines of the parking lot, which will require a little grading. Design plans call for a fence with noise-dampening panels, to lessen the sounds of parking to the only residential neighbors, across the park on Grotto Avenue.

"We're hoping the location we chose helps with that noise as well since it's tucked all the way on the opposite side of where they are," she said.

She said the process to get the dog park rolling has been three years in the making.

"It's definitely going to be more convenient for residents on this side of the river," she said.

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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Pawtucket plans to build new dog park at Fairlawn memorial park