City officials and departments are looking into putting a new city animal shelter in Franklin Park.
Many details are not determined yet, but the shelter would include kennels, veterinary facilities, and contained outdoor areas. The shelter would replace the city’s small and outdated current shelter in Roslindale that has very limited outdoor space.
A possible location is within the maintenance yard adjacent to Franklin Park, where there is currently a dilapidated parking lot. In 2018, there was a master plan made for the maintenance yard that looked at modernizing the entire facility, but at the time the footprint of the Boston Parks and Recreation Maintenance Yard was not included in the Franklin Park Action Plan. Once the Animal Control Department joined the Parks Department the team decided to incorporate the proposed facility into that master plan.
“The Boston Parks and Recreation Department has begun preliminary community engagement by meeting with the Franklin Park Coalition’s Board of Directors. We are committed to continued engagement with the coalition, other community groups, and abutters over the coming months,” said a Boston Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson to Jamaica Plain News.
City officials did not provide any specific dates for upcoming meetings, but city officials did meet with the Franklin Park Coalition’s board in a private Sept. 21 meeting, reported The Bay State Banner.
There are numerous other projects underway and being planned for Franklin Park. Early action work is underway at the Bear Dens. The Parks Department is working towards hiring a designer to advance improvements at the Overlook.
Earlier this year, the city announced recommendations for the Franklin Park Action Plan, but the plan has not been adopted. Also, one element of the Franklin Park Action Plan is to include an enclosed dog park.
