Members of the Barrington Town Council have opted against constructing a temporary dog park in town.

During a meeting Monday night, May 5, councilors discussed the idea of building a short-term dog park at either Perna Park on Sowams Road or in a section of Haines Park abutting the Cove Haven Marina property. 

The town closed the Kimberly Perrott Memorial Dog Park inside Haines Park on April 15, due to the construction of the athletic fields that abut the dog park. Officials said the dog park is not expected to reopen until October.

Representatives from the Friends of Barrington Dog Park and others who supported the idea for a temporary space had asked the council to pay approximately $5,670 for the fencing needed to construct the temporary dog park. 

Ashlee Cabral, the president of the nonprofit, said the closure of the Kimberly Perrott Memorial Dog Park has led some dog owners to use other fenced-in spaces in town to exercise their dogs. 

She referenced a recent incident at Chianese Park where a dog owner confronted a Barrington Little League baseball coach when he asked that the dog stay off the ball field. Cabral said town officials should expect an uptick in those types of incidents.

Barrington Town Council President Braxton Cloutier asked if there were any other places nearby where people could bring their dogs while the Kimberly Perrott Memorial Dog Park remained temporarily closed. 

Cabral said there is a dog park in Warren but it is not as big as the one in Barrington. She also said there’s a dog park in South County, but it has smaller, divided-up sections for different size dogs. 

Cabral said the dog park in Barrington is a good space. She joked “If we had alcohol (there), we’d be all set. Dogs and drinks.”

Councilor Kate Berard asked Cabral if her group was insured, as the town requests other organizations that use the sports fields to carry insurance. Cabral said the nonprofit did not have insurance and had only experienced one dog death since it opened more than 15 years ago. 

Berard also asked if the group could contribute some of the money needed for a temporary park. Cabral said they could try to organize a fund-raiser, but they did not have much money currently. 

Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey reminded councilors that is it is not uncommon for a community to temporarily close a dog park.

Meanwhile, Councilor Kerry O’Neill spoke in favor of creating a temporary dog park in town. Councilor Jordan Jancosek said she had no problem with dedicating a space for a dog park, but was hesitant to spend more than $5,000 for the temporary fix. 

She said the town has a very tight budget.

Joe Merrill, a member of the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission, was among the residents who spoke in favor of a temporary dog park. (The commission had earlier voted 4-1 in favor of creating a temporary dog park space in town.)

Barrington resident Kim DeLuca also supported the idea. She said it is difficult for residents to travel to other towns to use their dog parks. She suggested that the council could split the cost with the dog park nonprofit. 

Donna Williams shared a strong endorsement for the Kimberly Memorial Park Dog Park and for Cabral’s work in keeping it going. 

Following the public comment portion of the discussion, Berard said the closure of the dog park was a temporary problem, adding that the park would eventually be reopened. She said she was not a fan of spending money on the temporary issue. Berard suggested that officials should instead focus their effort on ensuring the Kimberly Memorial Dog Park reopens as soon as possible.

Jancosek agreed and pressed for a continued partnership between the town and the dog park volunteers. 

O’Neill said he wants the town to check with the contractor of the athletic field project each and every month to see when the dog park can reopen.

There was no vote on the issue.