As members of the Ft. Ethan Allen Community Canine Area (CCA) Relocation Task Force, we want to express our support of the process by which we reached a consensus recommendation to relocate the Ft. Ethan Allen (a.k.a. Madison) Dog Park.
The Task Force was appointed in January to formulate a recommendation for a permanent home for the dog park. Many groups and points of view were represented on the Task Force, including neighborhood civic associations, historical preservation groups and dog park users.
THE PROCESS WAS fair and inclusive and resulted in a very deliberative process.
The meetings were open to the public and were attended by many interested parties. Over 30 potential sites were identified and carefully evaluated by the Task Force, with the assistance and input of County Staff.
After a unanimous agreement to relocate the dog park from the historic district and to allow for historic interpretation, the Task Force voted 15-to-1 in favor of recommending the Madison Yellow site for the future home of the dog park.
We considered binding County regulations and neighborhood concerns during the process.
Most of the members of the Task Force put aside their differences and worked together to find a solution to this long-standing debate.
WE ARE GRATEFUL to Peter Fallon, the Task Force chairman, for his leadership and absolute impartiality during this process.
Sadly, our chairman has been subjected to unjustified and inexcusable verbal abuse during this process by some members of the public and is owed an apology.
He is a dedicated community leader who deserves our respect and admiration. We stand by Mr. Fallon and wish him continued success.
Thomas Beach, Laura Bobeczko, Suzanne Bolton, Julia Claypool, Robert Dilworth, Maureen Farrell, Anne Fisher, Robert Foster, Rebecca Halbe, Jody Katz, John Kettelle, Dawn Leland, Andrew Parker, Michelle Prettyman, Kevin Vincent, and Jeanne Wilton
Arlington