Allyson Halm

Animal Control Sees Rise in Complaints of Bad Behavior at Waveny Dog Park

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Following an increase in negative encounters among dogs, and their owners, at Spencer’s Run in Waveny, the head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section is reminding users of the fenced-off area’s rules. “Animal Control officers have been fielding an increase of complaints regarding both human and dog behavior,” Officer Allyson Halm wrote in an email sent to park members, obtained by NewCanaanite.com following a formal request. “Officers are also observing dog owners paying more attention to their phones than their dogs.”

Asked about issuing the reminder, Halm said it was needed after separate dog fights caused “several injuries” at the park. “We’ve had a rash of incidents of uncooperative people, bullying dogs, as well as dog versus dog,” she said. “All in all Spencer’s Run functions fairly well, but I felt obligated to reach out and remind people of the ethics and the rules.”

The email underscored the importance of having owners exchange information after a scuffle or fight and one or more dogs sustains an injury.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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The town on May 11 received an application for the owner of the Huguette Clark estate on Dan’s Highway to build a tennis court on the 52-acre property. The 120-by-60-foot court will cost $98,750 to build. The contractor on the job is Oval Tennis Inc. of Somers, N.Y., architect Frangione Engineering LLC of New Canaan. ***

Congratulations to New Canaan High School senior lacrosse player Nick Crovatto, who broke a longstanding Rams record Monday in a game vs. Trumbull with his 676th faceoff win.

Government

Selectmen Also Divided on Whether To Disband Spencer’s Run Volunteer Committee

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Just as they appear to be divided on whether to disband a committee that oversees youth sports in New Canaan, members of the Board of Selectmen recently voiced diverging points of view with respect to the volunteers who help operate the dog park at Waveny. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said during a meeting last week that there are open questions about insurance coverage for the Spencer’s Run Committee members and whether the group regularly meets and keeps minutes and that it’s “mind boggling” to have a committee in place with no process. The Parks & Recreation Commission has “no authority to make committees” such as one formed in March to help with the problem of dog poop at Irwin Park, Moynihan said at the April 24 selectmen meeting. That type of group “raises the question of what a town committee does and what is its function and how it expects to operate,” he said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. Moynihan first voiced concerns about the Spencer’s Run volunteer group in March, saying its members appeared to be enforcers and citing the case of a dog recently banned from the dog park.

Animal 411

Parks Officials Propose Raising User Fees at Spencer’s Run

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Saying it would generate an additional $9,000 in revenue, parks officials said this month that they’re planning to propose higher fees for those who use the dog run at Waveny. An early version of the new slate would see the annual registration fee for a first dog at Spencer’s Run go from $25 to $40 for residents and $40 to $60 for nonresidents, while the fee for additional dogs would rise from $15 to $25, according to the Parks & Recreation Commission. Chair Sally Campbell said the Commission could vote on the proposed higher rates at its next meeting and that they would go into effect after next year’s budget season. “The point is that these are quite low and there is a lot of maintenance that needs to be done in the park and it’s supposed to be the people who go to the park are the ones who are supposed to be the ones funding the repairs through fees,” Campbell said at the April 11 meeting, held at Lapham Community Center. There are 843 members of Spencer’s Run and just over half of them are nonresidents, according to Commissioner Rona Siegel.

Animal 411

‘They Are Not Enforcers’: Devereaux Advocates for Preservation of Spencer’s Run Volunteers

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Selectman Kit Devereaux on Tuesday said the volunteer committee that helps keep Spencer’s Run clean and friendly shouldn’t be disbanded, since its members in no way enforce the Waveny dog park’s rules. Responding to comments that the town’s highest elected official made recently, Devereaux said during a regular Board of Selectmen meeting that members of the Spencer’s Run Committee are “a positive force in maintaining a collegial environment.”

“They monitor and refill bag dispensers, they actually go around and clean up the park on a daily basis,” Devereaux said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. “They must not try to enforce the rules, instead they contact Animal Control. It is a group of people that works hard at this and the reason that they have been included under the town insurance program is that they are working around dogs. So when you said that you thought they should be disbanded because there should not be committees enforcing rules and they are not enforcers.”

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan responded only that he would prefer talk about it at the next board meeting, when the possible disbanding of other committees—such as the Youth Sports Committee and Deer Committee—also may be addressed.