Sharon Health Board OKs Seasonal Ban of Animals From Beach
Dog dropping data at beach to be collected over the next three weeks, which could lead to the ban being rescinded.
Citing concerns about people being exposed to dog feces in the sand, the Sharon Board of Health voted 3-2 Monday night to implement a seasonal ban of animals -- primarily affecting dogs -- from Veteran's Memorial Park and Beach and the fenced area of Community Center Beach in three weeks.
The catch: Sharon will track the amount of dog feces on the site over those three weeks, and the board will rescind the ban if the results warrant it.
Chairman Suzi Peck and members Jay Schwab and Stanley Rosen voted for the ban, which takes the form of a health board regulation. Members Andrew Stead and Edward Welch voted against it.
The vote did not specify the calendar parameters of the ban, including its official start date. However, the board voted on a version of a proposal it discussed last Tuesday night, with new language from Rosen. Last week's discussion included talk of having the ban from April 15 to Oct. 15.
After Monday night's vote, Town Administrator Benjamin Puritz said he would ask Animal Control Officer Diane Malcolmson to walk the beach daily and photograph and report dog feces she sees. Recreation or public works staff would remove it, he said.
Peck said data on the presence of dog feces would give the board "additional credibility" if it shows a ban is warranted.
"If we find out we've got a lot of poop, then the board of health is going to be completely justified," Peck said.
The vote came after Puritz and Selectman Richard Powell discussed with the board a proposed health board regulation amendment from Town Counsel Richard Gelerman.
The proposal, Gelerman wrote, sought "to reach a coordinated effort" among the health board; the selectmen, as Sharon's park commissioners; and the conservation commission, regarding "controlling dogs at Memorial Park."
Both the health and conservation boards have discussed the issue since a majority of voters at the May 7 annual town meeting rejected a proposed dog ban at Veteran's Memorial Park Beach.
The conservation commission has invited selectmen, as the park commissioners, to its meeting Thursday night. The commission says selectmen implemented the current dog access policy for the beach nearly two years ago without the commission's required review.
That policy, adopted on Aug. 17, 2010 for the Beach Street site, states: dogs are prohibited from the beach from Memorial Day to Labor Day while the beach is staffed, or open for a public event, the policy states. Dogs are restricted to the path, and leashed, at all other times, the policy states.
Powell called Gelerman's proposal sought to deal with "almost like a mini constitutional crisis in town as to who's got jurisdiction" and "at the same time, support the vote at town meeting."
Selectmen haven't heard complaints about dog droppings on the beach, Powell said.
Schwab reiterated his support for a year-round ban, which he proposed recently.
Puritz said it would be "probably more effective" to improve signage and to make more pick-up gloves available to the public.
But, Conservation Commission Administrator Gregory Meister encouraged the health board members "to do their job and protect the public."
"If I had a pool and I saw poop on the deck of my pool, I'd probably have a problem with it," Meister said.
Sharon Patch may update this story later today.
More from the web
- Sharon Board of Health http://www.townofsharon.net/Public_Documents/SharonMA_Health/BoardMembers
kevin lyons
7:27 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
I hope that they will remove what dog feces is on the beach right now and begin this experiment with zero dog feces. Otherwise they will be counting the same dog feces day after day. K
Todd Arnold
4:42 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
I think Kevin...you just made a major point on behalf of the proponents of the ban....let's just sweep the existing dog feces under the rug as if it's really not there and start from scratch,......hmmmmm
Todd Arnold
7:28 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
So the catch is to ban the dogs from the beach...then send the animal control officer to walk the beach looking for dog feces from the dogs that are no longer allowed on the beach?..
.Look everyone...We have all identified a problem on the beach in both Dog droppings as well as goose droppings..both "Disgusting" I'm tired of taking pictures of it and then disposing of it....the lifeguards who are charged with raking the beaches each morning are tired of it and the dog owners who obey the rules..who pick up after their dogs are tired of the dog owners who don't pick up after their dogs, causing the dilemma at hand. It's escalated into a civil war type of issue here when in all actuality...EVERYONE on both sides should be trying to figure out some sort of compromise. I'm sure NO ONE approves of feces on the beach from either Canines, Geese or Humans......BTW...if anyone wants pictures of Dog feces, I have plenty of them.....to be continued.....
FRANK
9:20 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Todd , Bullying is not the solution ! My lawyer is monitoring the actions of town now .
Todd Arnold
4:42 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Frank..seems to me you're doing the bullying....and threatening..keep to the topic at hand and debate it in a civil manner please...if you're paying a lawyer to monitor this.......I would just have to laugh in your general direction....
Tina Kasimer
10:04 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
So is this in conflict with the vote at Town Meeting?
stan
1:11 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
YES , IT VIOLATES RULE OF LAW !
Todd Arnold
4:42 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
@Stan... much in the way that the BOS violated the law in changing the regulation without utilizing the proper protocols????
kevin lyons
4:42 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Living in a democracy means that sometimes you have to accept the decision of the voters even if you disagree with the vote. The editorial page of the Sharon Advocate points this out very clearly. Why is this so difficult to understand. If we used the criteria of the Board of Health, we could be studying this issue for months. If the vote was in favor of the position of the Board of Health, the no dogs allowed signs would be up in five minutes. There would be no delay of months until the question is reviewed This is nothing more than a delay through attrition. The BOH is delaying the implementation of the vote until they gets their own way. Is there anyone in this town in a leadership position that will order the Board Of Health to stop what they are doing? To tell them that they do not have a legal right to ignore this vote?
Todd Arnold
7:45 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Kevin..numerous times I've mentioned the possibility that the change of policy enacted by the BOS might just been an out of order .....There was a dog ban in place for many many years prior to the change of policy.....so if you are a man of your word....and believe in what you preach here..then you might have to re-evaluate your stand based on your political perspective stated in so many threads...
Susan Peck
7:16 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
I think there is a bit of confusion. Michael did an excellent job of summarizing the BOH meeting (as Chair, I thank you because I know it wasn't easy) however he missed a crucial point. The ban does not go into effect until June 25th. The Board expressly delayed the effective date so that we could get some data on the magnitude of the problem. Reliable people said there WAS a problem with dog droppings. Equally reliable people said there wasn't. It was important to get some information so that we could either have the ban in place when the beach officially opens if the data showed it was necessary or rescind it if it proved unnecessary.
Should the BOH determine that the ban is unneeded, we would continue to monitor the situation and would reinstate the ban if problem arose.
If this potential for losing the priviledge of walking dogs on the path between April 15th and October 15th (unlike the Town Meeting vote which was on a 365 day per year ban, the BOH regulation just covers the time period when the risk of exposure is highest) helps encourage dog walkers to be extra responsible, well, that seems like a good thing.
Sharon is a very diverse town, with very diverse cultures, passions, and opinions. The BOH was and is trying to balance very real public health issues with these strong and varies opinions, and desires to enjoy the beach and park
Suzi Peck, Chair Sharon Board of Health
Todd Arnold
7:45 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Thank Suzi for the clarification..I just ran into "Someone" down at the boat docks who explained it as well as you have. The sad thing about it is that everyone should be upset at the dog owners not picking up after their pets......and that's the bottom line. I walked the beach early this mornin'..and once again found a newer group of Dog droppings...what I'm also seeing is ALOT of goose poop. There should be a bigger focus on ridding ourselves of the geese. Do the lights on the grassed area work.....? Ya..when the suns out and the batteries can get charged.....
philip
7:45 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Thanks susan for the report on BOH meeting .
philip
7:16 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Sharon police told me that they will not enforce dog ban for now !
Michael Gelbwasser
7:26 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Hi Suzi,
Thank you for your comments. However, the story's first paragraph says the ban won't start for three weeks, not immediately.
I don't recall hearing a specific effective date mentioned in the motion or immediately following the vote, which is why there's no reference to a June 25 start date.
At the same time, the story does say, in the second paragraph, "Sharon will track the amount of dog feces on the site over those three weeks, and the board will rescind the ban if the results warrant it."
That was clear last night: the board left the door open for the data to show that a ban isn't necessary in the opinion of the majority of its members.
Susan Peck
9:03 am on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Sorry, I missed that in your article..