Stonington selectmen to vote on proposed settlement of dog park suit
Stonington — The town has reached a tentative settlement with the borough couple that has sued the town over the unofficial dog park at the Town Dock.
An agenda for Wednesday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting lists an action item in which selectmen will discuss and vote to approve a stipulated judgment negotiated with Laura Ann Gabrysch and Frank Mastrapasqua, who own a home at 13 Front St. It also will decide whether to authorize First Selectmen Rob Simmons to sign the stipulation and any other documents to implement the stipulation.
The agenda for the meeting was posted a few minutes before Town Hall closed Tuesday. Simmons then could not be reached for comment about the proposed settlement. Borough Warden Jeff Callahan said he was aware of a proposed settlement but had not been told about the details of it.
This spring, Callahan proposed amending the borough’s dog ordinance that requires all dogs to be on a leash of no longer than 10 feet, to include the Town Dock area, which is where the dog park, formally known as the Sewer Treatment Expansion Parcel, is located. He said he is waiting to learn the terms of the settlement before deciding how to proceed with his amendment.
Although the dog park has been closed since early May for maintenance, people were inside the park Tuesday night despite chains and locks on the gate.
A solar energy company is proposing to locate 500 solar panels on the dog park site next to the borough sewer treatment plant, which effectively would end the use of the land as a dog park. Those panels, combined with more planned for the Pawcatuck sewer plant, could save the town as much as $1.4 million in energy bills over 20 years. The solar panels will need borough zoning approval.
Laura Ann Gabrysch and Frank Mastrapasqua allege in their suit that the town has been operating an “illegal dog park,” that the town has not received any permits or zoning approvals for the park and that the park poses a danger to the public and is a nuisance. Other neighbors have complained about incessant barking and shouting, feces strewn about and harassment by dog park users.
Last year the town formed a committee that developed a report to address problems with the park and neighbors’ complaints. It then recommended the town make improvements to formally create the park. The town then obtained approval from the borough Planning and Zoning Commission to install a 3-foot-11-inch-tall fence to provide a buffer between dogs and the neighbors. That has not occurred yet, as the town also needs to gain approval for two fences installed by former First Selectman Ed Haberek without approval.
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