DPW at the Dog Park

I’ve always said, “No good deed goes unpunished in New Milford.”  The complaints on this page about the work being done at the Dog Park make my case.

To get the facts, I spoke with Mike Zarba, Director of Public Works.

“We have a responsibility to maintain that parking lot,” he said.  “Hundreds of people use it every week.”   “There’s no point in having a park if people can’t get to it safely or can’t use it at all.”

Mike said that Public Works does maintenance work at all the Town’s Parks including Lynn Deming.  “Parks and Rec called and asked us to take care of the mud problem at the Dog Park parking area.  We’re using road millings to fix the problem.”   Why road millings?  “The asphalt plant isn’t open yet so we’re doing jobs around Town that don’t require it.”

After hearing about the use that the Park gets, I called Marla Scribner, the Mayor’s Executive Secretary, and asked if she could give me a better idea about numbers.  “We don’t have an official count but judging from the dozen or so calls I get every week from people saying that it’s a great place, I’d say the Park is extremely popular.”  She also said that many recent calls have been from dog owners asking about the parking area.   She said that a common question is, “When will it be safe to park so that I won’t get stuck in the mud?”

So whoever you are complaining about the work, I hope this addresses your issues.