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More fireworks on dog park in Foxboro




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.

 


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KyraSkye wrote on Mar 27, 2008 4:41 PM:

" Time will tell. Heather and Debbie are working very hard to get the park back and open, and with everyones help this will work and we will come out on top.
With the history the abutters have shown, they will attempt to cause problems again. That is a given. All we can do is work to ensure that we, as users, follow all rules and keep that park open.

Thumbs up to Selectman Sullivan, thank you for standing up for the people.


"

july_7 wrote on Mar 27, 2008 10:21 AM:

" So now these abutters are showing their true colors. But one thing that they don't understand is that "animal" people stick together and do things right. They can try and stage an event, but we know who they are and what they are trying to do to we just ignore them! They have always claimed to "have proof" of their accusations, seems to me that the court may take a second look at "the proof" and realize that this too may have been staged. Give them enough rope and eventually they'll end up hanging themselves. "


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