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To The Editor,
I was taken aback when I read Mr. Cool’s letter the other day about the planning that’s been going on since the summer for a dog park in Reading (according to the letter). While Mr. Cool referred to the group having these discussions as an “ad hoc team,” I wondered if the members he mentioned, in addition to himself, are serving on the group in their official capacities as he listed them in the letter by these positions: Select Board member Chris Haley, Town Manager Fidel Maltez, and Town Forest Committee chair Bill Sullivan.
Then I wondered to whom does this “ad hoc team” report? How were the members selected?
There are no women on the “team.” Apart from Mr. Cool, are the members dog owners?
Given the lack of available land in our community, any proposed location will draw questions and concerns that will rightfully need to be addressed. Who will hold the public comment process that will be a necessity?
A dog park may be a great addition to our town. If the men on the “team” are serious about pursuing this, it is time to set up an official working group with fair representation that can oversee the planning process, the public process, any grant applications, and potential construction.
Mary Ellen O’Neill
Summer Ave.
