BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:592@newtonconservators.org DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241211T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241211T183000 DTSTAMP:20241204T195917Z URL:https://newtonconservators.org/events/edmands-park-off-leash-proposal- public-meeting/ SUMMARY:Edmands Park Off-Leash Proposal - Public Meeting DESCRIPTION:WHEN &\; WHERE\n\nA public meeting will take place on Wednes day\, December 11\, 2024 at 6:30 pm as an opportunity for the public to we igh in on a proposed off-leash area at Edmands Park in Newtonville. The me eting will be held in the City Council Chambers (2nd Floor - elevator avai lable) at Newton City Hall. This will be a hybrid meeting and will be live streamed on Zoom. A video of the meeting will be available afterwards onl ine on the project page. The meeting is being organized by the Newton Park s\, Recreation &\; Culture Department and is listed on their website pr oject page HERE.  You may attend the meeting via Zoom by registering in a dvance HERE.  If you are attending the meeting\, it is recommended that y ou review the  documents described below.\n\nPROPOSAL FOR EDMANDS PARK OF F-LEASH\n\nThe off-leash proposal is being put forward by the group Cabot Canines Working Group  described on their website as "a group of Newton r esidents committed to responsible dog walking\, both on and off-leash in o rder to make Cabot Woods enjoyable for all Newton residents." The full Edm ands Off-Leash Proposal (April 30\, 2023)\, including survey responses\, c an be read HERE. The basic proposal is 18 pages but the 309 page document contains extensive appendices on sponsoring individuals\, maps\, abutting properties\, community survey info (with pro and con responses)\, previous community presentations\, email and website communications\, police depar tment reports\, off-leash resources\, and rules from other cities and town s.\n\nThe organization's basic position can be found on their web page HER E  An article on the group's efforts appeared in Fig City News last Janua ry HERE.\n\n \;\n\nA group in opposition to the Edmands Park proposal above was formed\, which is called Edmands for All. This group which has r eleased a position paper which can be found HERE  which called for signin g a petition.  The responses to that petition can be found HERE.\n\nComme nts on the proposal before or after the public meeting can be sent to the department at parks@newtonma.gov.  As with other project proposals\, the Parks\, Recreation &\; Culture Department will analyze the feedback fr om the public meeting and other feedback\, consult with the groups\, and d ecide a future course of action.\n\nNEWTON'S OFF-LEASH PROGRAM\n\nThe Newt on Off-Leash Recreation Program has been designed to meet the needs of the City’s dog owners who want off-leash time while sharing park space with other park users.  Information about the Off-Leash program and current o ff-leash areas can be found HERE.  Licensing information for dogs and for the additional off-leash tag can be found HERE.  Fees from the Off-Leash Tag program support the creation and maintenance of  off-leash areas as well as a park ranger who visits the areas\, checks tags\,  and educates park users on the rules and proper behavior.  The off-leash movement in N ewton began over 20 years ago resulting in an off-leash ordinance and a wo rking group within the Parks and Recreation Department to locate suitable sites around the city.  Edmands Park was on that initial list of potentia l sites since it already was a popular location for walking dogs.  A brie f Newton Conservators article on the early history of the off-leash progra m in Newton can be found HERE.\n\nEDMANDS PARK\n\nEdmands park is a 33-acr e natural woodland park located in Newton. Originally part of the Edmands estate\, the property was donated to the city in 1913. It is also commonly referred to as Cabot Woods (it is not far from Cabot Street and Cabot Sch ool.) Edmands park offers a variety of uses. Its unpaved walking trails pr ovide opportunities for enjoying nature throughout the seasons. Edmands Pa rk features a combination of woodlands\, clearings\, wetlands\, Edmands Br ook and a glacial esker. The open forest hosts oaks\, beeches\, locusts\, maples\, birches\, and pines. Edmands Brook is an intermittent stream that feeds into a sizable wetland. There is a 501(c)(3) friends group for the park called Friends of Edmands Park.  Additional info and a trail map for Edmands Park can be found on the Newton Conservators website HERE.\n\n&nb sp\; ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newtonconservators.org/wp-content/upload s/2024/12/20241211-Edmands-Off-Leash.jpg LOCATION:Newton City Hall\, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue\, Newton\, MA\, United States GEO:42.3374309;-71.20885650000002 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=1000 Commonwealth Avenue\, Newton\, MA\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Newton City Hall:ge o:42.3374309,-71.20885650000002 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20241103T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR