E-mail News
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3-30-06
This newsletter went out to the email list:
We had a meeting on March 21, 2006, attended by 6 faithful members, but we need your help. We decided on the following:
1. WORK PARTY: We will be having a work party at the park on Saturday May 13 from 9am to 11am. Our projects will be to spread new gravel that will be ordered, spread wood chips, remove weeds, and generally pick up the sticks and litter that arrived over the winter. Anyone can help. Please bring shovels, metal rakes, work gloves, and wheelbarrows if you have them. The rain date will be May 20. But if it is just threatening or drizzling, we will meet on the 13th. Please bring your dog for a good 2 hour visit.
2. PO Box: Due to rising costs ($80 per year) and very infrequent mail, we will discontinue renting a PO Box. You can contact someone through email or the website.
3. Trees: New trees will be donated for the empty area to the left of the entrance. The pussy willow at the right of the entrance is in bloom and has done well.
4. Bulletin Board: Board members will be given keys so that all can add articles or notices of interest.
5. Status of other parks: Over the years, many other towns have contacted us for assistance in getting a dog park of their own. Several are in progress.
6. Animal Shelter: We hear that a site has been selected but not yet approved. There is a small grant that has been obtained to start designing.
7. Parade: We will not be participating in the Memorial Day Parade, as it appears interest is waning.
8. The final bricks will be ordered and placed soon. No additional orders came in over the winter.
Please plan on attending the work party to help us get the park ready for the upcoming season.
Thank you for your interest.
Dawn
2-20-2004
R-DOG Newsletter:
1. Message from Veronica on the changes to Hamden rDog
2. Eleanor's calls to Hamden Parks and Recreation
3. Henri's request
4. Leo's introduction
5. Dawn‚s Minutes from last meeting
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Dear R-DOG supporters,
I'd like to give you an update on the organization and the dog park. As you know, Hamden R-DOG worked long and hard to get the dog park approved and in place. The park has now been operating successfully for almost one-and-one-half years, with few problems and much popular support. This was our original and major goal and we are very proud of our accomplishment. The park continues to need our constant monitoring, our communication with the town, and our fundraising for replenishing the Dogipot dispensers and for any new projects such as a separate entrance to the small dog area. In the spring it will need three dead trees removed, additional fine gravel delivered and spread (especially around the picnic tables, I'm sure you'll agree), and the fence repaired at the back of the park towards Waite Street.
Our second goal has been to see a new Hamden Animal Shelter and we did considerable research and lobbying towards this in the past. While the shelter has not yet been built, plans are well underway for a new police complex for Hamden, which Mayor Amento assures us will include the shelter. We will wait to see what role we can play as the plans develop.
Our third goal has been to establish further dog parks in Hamden. There has been talk of one at Brooksvale and one at the future Hamden Town Center Park at Meadowbrook. So far, just talk.
It is time to reevaluate the organization now that we have accomplished our main goal.
Our active group has become very small - a handful of dedicated volunteers. With our current group we can continue to maintain the park, and we count on your continued loyal support whenever we ask you to help with work parties and fundraising events. However, please be aware that we cannot take on anything beyond maintenance unless we gain additional active members.
In view of the almost nonexistent response to Jeff's recent plea for more participation in R-DOG, we have decided to change the structure of the organization. We will no longer have monthly meetings at Larson Place or a formal board. We are now an informal committee of people who are willing to take on the necessary responsibilities. We will meet at the park every couple of months during the warmer weather and will welcome any park users who would like to participate in the meetings. We will also meet when necessary to plan spring and fall fundraisers. Our legal status remains the same: we are a committee of Hamden Community Playground, Inc.
Our next meeting, our next work party, and our spring fundraiser will happen in late April and early May. Watch for announcements both at the park and via email.
In the meantime, thanks to everyone who was on the board this past year, especially our outgoing president, Jeff Euben. Thanks to Dawn Tiedemann who will take on the duties of treasurer, to Ann Levison for publicity, to Eleanor Andujar for being our new contact with the town, and to Leo Taylor from whom you will be hearing regularly as he maintains our email list and communication. I will continue to take an active role on the committee, and maintain the web site, monitor the park, etc., as needed. I welcome your comments and questions.
Best regards, and see you at the park!
-Veronica
Veronica Soell, President
Hamden Community Playground, Inc.
Hamden Responsible Dog Owners' Group
veronica_soell@alum.quinnipiac.edu
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Eleanor Andújar is now our liaison with the Parks and Recreation Dept of Hamden. She recently had two conversations with Frank Risutti and he sounds quite willing to help us out with a few items at the park. He asked that a crew be sent to the Dog Park to fix the fence, they found the problem but must wait until the ground thaws. Frank and Eleanor discussed removal of three dead trees in the spring. Eleanor suggested she could send a follow up letter with photos of what needs to be done and Frank agreed that would be worthwhile.
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To the Friends of the Hamden Dog Park at Bassett: I need recipes for dog treats. Henri of Twin Brook is putting together a booklet for fundraising. He needs your help. Please submit all recipes to: Henrixx@snet.net
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Leo Taylor is now the keeper of the email list, and I will put together items submitted for mailings. Please send any changes to email addresses to: Leo.
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HAMDEN R-DOG MEETING
FEBRUARY 3, 2003
The meeting opened at 7:40pm with 7 members present.
Animal Shelter: Email received from Jackie Downing. No one from mayor‚s office will be attending meeting. Because the town does not yet own the proposed land for the police station, with animal shelter attached, it is too soon to do any planning and they cannot talk publicly about the project. However, the mayor‚s cable TV show has been broadcasting plans and layouts. Likewise, the Hamden Town Center park is also in the very early stages, so no action can be taken there.
Park update: Due to cost, and the oversight on the part of the town in excluding us in the planning for water at the two parks on Waite Street, we will not be pursuing water facilities at the park. Members have noted the sporadic trash pickup at the park. A notice will be placed encouraging people to call the town directly about the trash. It has been noticed that snow removal has been lacking, and that volunteers are not doing this.
Small Dog Entrance: There is still interest in having a separate entrance for the small dog area. However, we do not have enough money in the treasury for this project.
Girl Scouts: Two girls were interested in doing some work for us, but it was found that they could not help with fundraising or other projects, so this will not happen.
Election of officers: An email was sent, looking for volunteers to fill the board positions. Only one person replied with an interest in helping with fundraising, but not a board position. Due to the lack on interest, and the fact that we do not have to have a board for R-DOG, just HCP, which we do have, it was decided to simply separate out the various activities and have volunteers for those jobs. It was felt that the lack of interest is due to the fact that our organization was established to set up a dog park, and that has been accomplished. We added the shelter as another goal, and it appears that it is going to happen without our participation. Perhaps our activities of a few years ago helped to encourage the town to pursue a new animal shelter. The goal now is to maintain the park and keep it clean. The various activities were listed and volunteers were assigned. Eleanor Taylor will be the town contact. Veronica Soell will continue to fill the bag dispensers and place notices at the park. Veronica will send thank you notes to any donors, and visit the post office box. We will not have any more brick fundraising. Dawn Tiedemann will handle finances, and can take minutes of any meetings (Audrey Brainerd will also be contacted). The membership list is not needed. The email list will be kept for notifying interested people about meetings and events, and will be maintained by Leo Taylor. Ann Levison will continue to notify the newspapers about events, but not meetings. Pat Tobin volunteered to help with various activities. The entire group will be involved with fundraisers.
Meetings: The group decided that monthly meetings were not needed. Future meetings can occur at the park, about every 2 months, or when needed. Perhaps more people will participate this way. If it rains, the meeting will be postponed.
Fundraising Event: The group decided to do an event to help raise money for the gate for the small dog area on a Saturday in May. Eleanor Taylor volunteered to be the contact person with the town, and will contact them about dates. We will have meeting April 13 to plan for this. The meeting will be at Veronica Soell‚s home, and Ann Levison will bring refreshments. We have T-shirts to sell.
Work Day: The group felt that a workday would be needed before the fundraiser, perhaps April 24. We would like ∏ inch gravel to spread around the picnic table area. Eleanor Taylor will contact the town. Three dead trees need to come down, and we would like the trunks left in the park for dogs to climb over. We need to fix a section of the fence.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00pm.
Dawn Tiedemann
