BETHEL — Steve Wight and fellow dog enthusiasts were ecstatic late Wednesday evening.

Following a 60-minute public hearing and two hours of deliberation, the Bethel Planning Board approved their application for a dog park in town, Wight emailed to project backers.

“We did it!” he wrote.

Earlier, dog urine, poop and canine diseases were among the concerns voiced against the proposed Bethel Dog Park at Wednesday night’s Planning Board public hearing.

Just as many, if not more people in the standing-room only crowd of 30 people lobbied for the park.

Using a new site map for the project, Dog Park agent Wight of Newry explained its features. The 1-acre, fenced-in park would be sited next to the multiuse, paved Pathway trail behind Dunkin’ Donuts on town land.

Wight said it would be a privately-funded town project, similar to the Bethel Skate Park beside the Pathway.

One portion of the park would be for small dogs; the other portion for large dogs.

A few people worried about vernal pools being present on the floodplain lot, but Planning Board Chairman Jon Cowan said there isn’t any on the site. He said it has wetland areas, but no breeding pools.

Bethel resident Debra Borchardt shared information about dog parks and said she believes the park will be a benefit to the town.

“We want to give Bethel a gift,” she said.

Helen Robillard of South Paris agreed.

“I’m all for it,” she said. Later, she championed the park as a tool to educate dog owners.

“This is the first step to educating people that don’t clean up after their dogs,” Robillard said.

Jessie Perkins of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce said she routinely fields many calls from people wanting to visit the town who also want to bring their dogs.

Terry Robinson of Bethel said that while she isn’t against a dog park, she didn’t like the particular location. She also worried that tax dollars would be spent on it. But Wight said taxpayers won’t be asked to fund the project.

Robinson wanted conditions of approval detailed and suggested that funds for the project be raised first and held in escrow before any work could be done on the site.

She asked why Mahoosuc Land Trust land wasn’t considered for the park.

Dave Crockett of Bethel asked about liability insurance and dog owners not acting responsible and cleaning up their canine’s poop.

One lady agreed, saying there is no enforcement in town requiring owners of dogs being walked in town to pick up their dog’s messes.

“They have no decency,” she said.

Longtime resident Judith Diamond championed the park saying, “It’s essential.

“This is a wonderful thing,” she said. “This town for the past two to three years has pet-booming things. It’s a growing dog world.”

She agreed that not every dog owner picks up after their animal during walks, but said she doesn’t blame some people because the only place to dispose of such waste in plastic Doggie Do bags is the Dumpster behind Davis Park.

“Would people rather see unruly dogs pooping and pissing and carrying disease all over town?” Diamond asked. “This park will keep it all in one place.”

Nancy Brown of Bethel said a dog park would provide a safe haven for dogs that isn’t currently provided in town.

Erin Hanley, the owner of Tucker’s Dog House and a former bartender at Sunday River Ski Resort, said she’s seen a big need for a dog park among visitors and tourists to the area.

Hanley said that while she can foresee liability issues, she believes dog owners will be responsible.

“I don’t see (the park) as a problem,” she said. “I see it as a benefit if we all work together.”

Kathy Jo Farren, a longtime Bethel Animal Hospital employee, asked about liability issues, but favors the park.

“I think it’s an awesome idea, but from my standpoint, I’m concerned about disease,” she said. “Who’s going to police whether dogs are vaccinated that come into the park?”

Unlike the others, she didn’t think dog poop would be an issue in the park, believing responsible owners would remove the messes.

After the 60-minute hearing, Planning Board members continued work on the project’s amended site plan review and were still at it by 8:30 p.m.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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