The possibility of building a dog park in Westbrook took a step forward when the Board of Selectmen (BOS) voted on April 12 to have further discussion and to get revised cost estimates on required work ready for the next meeting.

Last month, First Selectman John Hall invited concerned residents to the April 12 BOS meeting to share their thoughts on possibly bringing a dog park to Westbrook. Hall had suggested the town could use town-owned land by the fields off of McVeagh Road as a possible site. An estimated cost of $20,000 could pay for the installation of a fence and parking area, according to an estimate from Public Works Director John Riggio.

At the April 12 meeting, Hall recommended that the board ask that more concrete cost estimates for items like the fence, signage, parking lot renovation, insurance costs, and gate installations be prepared for the next BOS meeting before a decision was made. The board unanimously agreed to that motion.

Only one resident weighed in on the matter during the meeting, but others had offered support for the idea on social media. At the BOS meeting, Linda Nolf said she found the idea “wonderful” and noted that the dog park in Clinton gets a lot of use.

“We go to the one in Clinton all the time, and we always say wish it was closer and in our own hometown,” said Nolf.

Bringing a dog park to Westbrook is an idea that has been seriously discussed more than once in recent years. In 2016 and 2017, a proposal to turn the Fiske Lane tennis courts into a dog park failed to receive community support, but the idea of putting a park somewhere in Westbrook never went away.

The efforts were re-sparked this year when Hall said that a resident had emailed him requesting that part of Ted Lane Field be used as a dog park. The board, however, did not believe Ted Lane would be a good place for the park, an issue that was again discussed at the April BOS meeting.

Since Ted Lane is used for baseball, softball, and community activities, Selectman Joe Campbell said the likelihood of children coming in contact with dog waste made it not an ideal location. An earlier opinion from the health director stated the same concern. Another fear was that without a fence the dogs could run away.

However, while Ted Lane may be off the table and no formal decision on establishing a park was reached, the board members appeared largely supportive of the idea.

“I think it’s a good idea for the location you’re talking about,” Campbell said, referring to the McVeagh Road location.

Selectman Chet Bialicki also said he liked the site, but said he wanted to see more cost estimated before the board moved forward.

The board also discussed the possibility of using a similar model to the one Clinton uses to help maintain its park. There, an organization called The Friends of Bailey’s Dog Park, an entity that is not associated with the town, is used to emphasize rules and regulations as well as raise funds and help with maintenance projects while the town still owns the property.

The Westbrook BOS members said they would look over the details of how the Clinton organization works and possibly see if one could be of use in Westbrook should the dog park become a reality. The BOS is set to meet next on Thursday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. Visit www.westbrookct.us for details.