Once Again, Gardner MA DPW Coming Through with Smart Solution
Putting their heads together, DPW Director Dane Arnold and City Engineer Rob Oliva have come up with an appropriate solution to the puddling and mud issues at the Gardner Dog Park which have frustrated owners with an estimated project completion date of before winter if it is possible. (Will depend on what else comes up, DPW is still short-handed.) Various people including this publisher have suggested red-neck solutions such as putting a pile of rocks on top of the mud. Turns out our uninformed ideas were a little dumb as that could have caused injury to dogs paws and the rocks would get shot out from the lawn mowers. The solution: a stone trench and perforated pipe to take care of problem long-term and properly.
Here’s what Dane Arnold stated,”The City Engineer and I both looked at it today. The park is actually in pretty good shape other than the area in the dog play area and a wet area along the fence. We are going to install a stone trench and perforated pipe from the play area entrance the entire length and tie it into a catch basin on the other side of the park. When this will be done – I cannot give a date, but we will try and get it before the winter. The drainage in the park does work, but the entire park is a low-lying area and the ground is saturated and becomes muddy and causes pooling in some areas.I am not just going to dump a load of stones in the park. I’ll then hear complaints that the stones hurt the dogs feet and the lawn mowers are shooting across the park.”
For those who don’t know: It was Dane Arnold and the DPW who came up with the implementation of the fountain at Orpheum Park after the Mayor saw a similar fountain elsewhere. DPW also increased the safety of the intersection near Heywood Hospital. City Engineer Rob Oliva is also often involved in various planning to make sure things are engineered properly in the best long-term interests of the City of Gardner.