Slater Park dog park re-opens after renovations
By JON BAKER
jbaker@pawtuckettimes.com
PAWTUCKET – You really couldn’t tell who was happier at the grand reopening of the Pawtucket Dog Park at Slater Park early Saturday afternoon – the canines or their “parents.”
Dozens of pet owners arrived long before the scheduled 12:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony to catch a glimpse of the state-of-the-art facility, and while the humans seemed rather patient at the perhaps 30-minute delay, dogs of all sizes unleashed various toned barks voicing their displeasure.
“I want to play now!” they seemed to say.
Once the time neared 1 p.m., however, Pawtucket Dog Park Committee Chair Joanne Palazzo, State Rep. Leonela Felix and Mayor Don Grebien each delivered remarks, the former opened the gates, and the flood of four – and two-legged beings bolted into the park, which is now complete with a new surface, added attractions and play things, “dig spots” and more.
“You know what my favorite part of the whole thing is? Obviously, the dogs have a blast, but I’ve met so many really cool people here, too,” said Karen Kiefer, a city resident for 23 years and a Norton native who took the short drive over with the mix breed she named Pumpkin. “Not only do the dogs socialize here, but so do the owners.
“When this closed back in late May, we missed it so much,” she added. “We had to go over to the Fairlawn Dog Park or the one on Pond Street in Attleboro, and we met a lot of great people, but it wasn’t the same … After all the work they did here? I love it. It’s huge, and we’re all having so much fun.”
A friend of Kiefer’s, Kate Lynch, explained that a group of about 10 dog owners formed a special on-line group after the park closed so they could communicate with each other and schedule mutual times to meet and where, and their canine “kids” could, too.
“I used to drive over here on multiple occasions to see how it was coming along; it was supposed to open in September, and we were optimistic that meant Sept. 1,” Lynch said as she closely monitored her two pets Rangeley and Finn, both hound mixes, and brother Matt’s golden retriever Lily. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, but it was definitely worth the wait.
“You know, a dog park is as much for the humans as it is the dogs. I moved here from Framingham in 2020, and it was at the height of the pandemic. In fact, I closed on my house on March 20, 2020, and everything officially closed down on March 16. I knew absolutely nobody, nobody could go out, and I met no one. But then I rescued Rangeley the following year and we started coming here.
“I met so many different, fun people,” she added. “I always joke that I’ve met people that I never would have here, and that’s because we come from all different professions, backgrounds, areas of town, and we’re all different ages. None of that matters, though, because we all have one thing in common: A great love for dogs.
“The thing about a dog park is that it’s nothing like walking a dog. When you walk a dog, you both get exercise, but they’re not having much fun because they can’t unleash that energy. When they can run around and play with others, they’re interacting. They’re making friends, and once they do, those friendships last. It’s like kids going to school, and I guess we as humans are like that, too.”
Mike Wilcox, the Pawtucket Project Manager, oversaw the project, though he explained many entities were involved, including Tim Gerrish from Gerrish & Gardner Architects; Joe Corso of the Bella Corporation; Scott Beausoleil of the Beausoleil Construction Co.; Mayor Donald Grebien; the City Council; the Department of Public Works, headed by Interim Director Chris Crawley; and Parks & Recreation Director John Blais and his team.
“We closed it around May 25 and immediately went to work on all of the surfacing,” Wilcox said. “As you know, the former site was a lawn bowling green years ago, and it was flat from corner to corner, so it didn’t drain. That was one of the issues we had after a rainstorm – getting the water off the site.
“After regrading, we brought in stone dust and an organic, sandy material that really hardens up like concrete during rain, so it doesn’t erode. They also put in special “dig holes” of sand, new play ramps and big cement construction pipes for playful types to run through – or jump on top of, etc.
They even installed a water system with one perhaps four-five feet high and the other just a few inches off the ground. Call it a human/dog bubbler, where if anyone or thing gets thirsty, they can quench that thirst right there.
The park is separated into two sections, one for dogs 30 pounds or heavier, the other for those who are lighter; that enhances safety.
“I just love this,” Palazzo said. “I’ve been here once a week since it closed so I could monitor the progress for our dog park committee’s Web page; I wanted to show people what was being done. It’s absolutely gorgeous!
“To think it’s been 12 years – unbelievable!” she continued. “I was one of the original members of the dog park committee when we started formulating the idea in 2010, and we eventually got the City Council to give us a one-year trial period. Six months after it opened, we were asked to go back before the council, and we were nervous. We thought they were going to shut us down, that it had failed.
“But once we got called up, we received a huge round of applause. They told us we had done a superb job of cleaning up the park and monitoring it, and also scheduling events for it … I’m ecstatic about it. It’s been a long time coming. This new park will help make everything we do that much easier, things like Dogapalooza, Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest and Santa Paw photos.”
Palazzo did admit that with the time spent on the dog park renovations and ribbon-cutting ceremony planning, the committee didn’t have more free time to put together the Howl-O-Ween event this year, but it’s a given for next year, she said.
State Rep. Felix brought her dog, Chiquita, but they’re no strangers to this site, as they’ve been visitors for the past 10 years.
“Our Slater Park Dog Park has been a staple of our community and a welcoming place for all doggy parents, all dogs, and we really enjoy it; we have a great time,” she said. “We’ve really enjoyed having the camaraderie with our community, to be able to share stories and just watch our dogs play. Now they will be in a safer, cleaner environment.”
Added Mayor Grebien: “People thank me for things like this, but I tell everybody it’s part of our jobs to make sure we’re responding to the community and we’re giving them the quality of life they need and want. Joanne and the dog park committee, give them a round of applause because without their support and continued leadership, these things wouldn’t happen.
“This is a wonderful contribution that has been given to our city. It’s all about providing you all the quality of life you deserve, and also the animals whom we love dearly.”
Del and Heather Marshall of Rumford wouldn’t have missed the grand reopening for the world. Their English Lab Mika couldn’t say that, but she didn’t have to, as she was bouncing around like a basketball.
“We missed this place a lot; it was a good park then, but now look at it – water bubblers, pay ramps, the fire hydrant. I’m sure Mika’s going to have a blast.”
And there stood Lisa Ferreira, the “dog mom” of Miley, a seven-year-old pit mix, trying to control her from jumping over the gate to be the first on the new surface.
“She’s so anxious!” Ferreira laughed. “Honestly, I didn’t come over and visit to see what was happening. I wanted to be surprised when I first saw it, and – I have to say – I’m stunned. I’ve been waiting for this day for so long. Miley was so bored; she had lost some of her energy. This is her favorite place, and she couldn’t come and run like she has been.
“Now she can; this is so beautiful,” she continued. “It looks much better than I thought it would. This is making a lot of people – and dogs – very happy right now.”