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Last modified: Thursday, March 27, 2008 1:02 AM EDT
More fireworks on dog park in Foxboro
BY FRANK MORTIMER / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
FOXBORO - And the barking continues. Among the humans.
During a conservation commission meeting with organizers of the Foxboro Dog Park Monday, Selectman Mark Sullivan threatened to seek a "restraining order" or a "letter of disinvite" against all 17 plaintiffs who have filed suit to permanently close down the park.
His comments came after one of the plaintiffs in the audience had asked a series of questions about the park.
Park organizers hope to reopen the facility at Cocasset River Park April 10 on a four-day-per-week schedule with reduced hours, co-founders Heather Harding and Debbie Cunniff told the commission during a lengthy discussion of new park rules, signs and monitoring.
The park can reopen with a number of restrictions and controls, Land Court Judge Keith Long ruled in a March 13 revised preliminary injunction.
During Monday's meeting, Dan Smith, one of the plaintiffs seeking to close the park, asked questions from the audience related to future park management, record keeping and accountability.
Then Sullivan, who was seated in the audience as the board of selectmenn's liaison to the park, called a warning across the room.
Sullivan said that if any of the plaintiffs repeat their "antics" of Feb. 16, he will seek to ban all of the plaintiffs from the area with a restraining order or a letter of disinvite.
Sullivan said later in an interview that on the morning of Feb. 16, he saw about a dozen of the 17 plaintiffs in the area of the dog park, and saw their attorney, Edward Valanzola seated in his car in the parking lot.
"My opinion is they were trying to instigate events to document some evidence for the upcoming trial," Sullivan said. "Now that this is reopening, I'm not going to stand for that behavior."
Sullivan said if the plaintiffs again try to "stage an event" at the park, he would seek advice from a town lawyer to obtain a restraining order or letter barring all the plaintiffs from the dog park and the parking lot.
The conservation commission, which controls the park land, postponed its vote on allowing the park to reopen until its next meeting April 7 to give the members time to review the submissions by Harding and Cunniff about the appointment, training and responsibilities of monitors the judge required.
Harding said the initial dog park hours will likely be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. |