Stonington — First Selectman Rob Simmons has said he has met with the borough couple who has sued the town over the unofficial dog park at the Town Dock and he plans to present a proposal to resolve the dispute to selectmen on Dec. 23.

In the interim, Simmons said the lawsuit will be held in abeyance which means no action will be taken on it until the selectmen can act on the proposal.

Simmons said he and borough Warden Jeff Callahan recently met with Laura Ann Gabrysch and Frank Mastrapasqua, who own a Front Street home that borders the park and their attorney to discuss ways to settle the dispute.

“We now have an opportunity to move forward with our discussions in a prudent manner,” said Simmons who declined to discuss the details of the proposal until the Dec. 23 meeting.

The couple allege that the “illegal dog park” poses a danger to the public, interferes with the “quiet enjoyment” of their property as well as the right of other residents to use their properties.

They say the town has not obtained required borough zoning approval for the park, refused to enforce the borough leash law and failed to prevent dog waste from polluting adjacent Stonington Harbor.

Their attorney has said the couple tried to work out a solution with former first selectmen Ed Haberek and George Crouse and only filed the suit after Crouse did not respond to their request for a meeting and then did not want attorneys to attend.

j.wojtas@theday.com

@joewojtas