Proposed Dog Park Raises Concerns about Loose Dogs in Byram Park

The Greenwich Board of Selectmen had a first read of a proposed Municipal Improvement for a Dog Park at Byram Park along Ritch Avenue.

Parks & Rec director Joe Siciliano said the approximately 11,000 sq ft of park land would be repurposed to allow dogs to run off leash.  The area is enclosed by a stone wall and chain link fence.

Pedestrian access would be from Ritch Avenue via the sidewalk that runs parallel to the road.

The 8 existing spaces by the gatehouse at the main entrance to Byram Park would be used for parking, plus one ADA compliant space.

Additional parking would be available inside the park by the beach if needed.

A water station and pet waste station are to be installed inside the fenced area.

“Personally my main concern is dogs off leash. People take their dogs off the leash running in Byram Park and on the beach in the off season. Now, if there’s a dog park…they’ll do it in season as well.” – Myrna Gardner, Friends of Byram Park

The park will be maintained by the Parks Dept crew at Byram Park, including waste station pickup. They would provide the appropriate signage.

Mr. Siciliano said the cost for parking striping and amenities would be raised privately from various sources.

The meeting packet said the cost to convert the area for a dog park is approximately $30,000.

Signage and park rules would be posted, with a limit of 2 dogs per person, per visit, and a maximum of 10 dogs allowed in the park at one time.

The Board of Health granted approval in February 2025 to allow dogs off leash at the proposed location. Siciliano said Board of Park & Recreation also reviewed the proposal, and had no objections.

 

Selectwoman Lauren Rabin asked where residents would park if the limited parking by the gatehouse is full.

Mr. Siciliano said that seasonally, residents with a valid park pass can pass the gatehouse and find parking down by the beach.

“If you’re there to exercise yourself and your dog, it’s a short two-minute walk from the gatehouse to the location,” he said.

“If someone was coming from New York to use it, they’re not going to be able to use it, seasonally,” Rabin said.

Mr. Camillo noted that neighboring Port Chester has a large dog park of its own.

It has separate areas for small dogs and large dogs.

Camillo said many residents would walk to the park rather than drive.

He said it took five years before the first official dog park opened at Grass Island in 2005.

“The idea was to get one on the eastern side of town, one on the western side of town, and one at Grass Island,” he said.

Selectwoman Rachel Khanna asked for a breakdown of ongoing costs.

“It’s not really a big uptick on expense. It’s just we have to work on giving our guys some reassignment and prioritizing a bit. I can’t give a cost annually to do this. We’re talking about dog pickup bags. We’re talking about continued mowing, which we do right now and upgrades to turf if you can get it established.”

She asked for a rough outline of costs for the next meeting.

“It’s not going to be much,” Camillo said. “They’re already cutting the grass….It’s not really big. It’s not going to be an issue.”

Khanna asked if there was a separation of large from small dogs.

There is not.

She also asked if concerns about water quality at Byram Beach had been addressed.

Siciliano said the park will be 1500 ft from the actual water and there will be a dispenser for pet waste bags.

“In order for that waste to get in the ground and trickle into LI Sound is pretty remote. It’s not going to be a factor in water quality. Byram already has its other issues with water quality,” Siciliano said.

During public comment Myrna Gardner from Friends of Byram Park shared a comment about restoration of the dry stone wall, which she said she believed was historic, dating back to the time the quarry operated there.

“It should be restored rather than just repaired,” she said.

“We’ll put the wall back in kind, the way it was,” Siciliano said, adding that a tree fell on it and he was aware it needed attention.

Gardner said there was a problem with loose dogs on the beach in Byram Park.

“Dogs are not supposed to be allowed on the beach in Byram Park. There are many dogs taken to the beach in Byram Park. Maybe a change in signage or something could be done to limit that,” Gardner continued. “The gate is open, people bring their dogs down.”

“Are you finding that people are not cleaning up? Camillo asked.

“Personally my main concern is dogs off leash,” Gardner said. “People take their dogs off the leash running in Byram Park and on the beach in the off-season. Now, if there’s a dog park…they’ll do it in season as well”

Selectwoman Rabin also commented on the problem of loose dogs in the park.

“I rented the pavilion and had a lot of little children there, my grandsons, and there were plenty of people who brought their dogs and had them off leash,” she said. “I had to tell them one of my grandsons is petrified. Please put your dog back on the leash.”

“We have a leash law in town and it’s enforceable by animal control, and the rules are your dog has to be on a leash all the time except in a designated area like a dog park,” Siciliano said. “At the end of the day, I don’t care if it’s Greenwich Point in the middle of the winter. Or Byram in the middle of the winter or summer, your dog is supposed to be on a leash and you’re supposed to clean up after your dog, but trying to get people to do that is an ongoing challenge.”

Siciliano said a Park Ranger program was implemented this summer and the rangers visit Havemeyer Field, Julian Curtiss School’s field, Byram Park and and other known locations where people congregate with their dogs and instruct them to keep their dogs on a leash and clean up after them.

“Human nature is human nature and when no one is watching it’s a whole different situation,” Siciliano said.

Ms Khanna asked for details on the Park Ranger program.

Siciliano said the program will remain ongoing as long as there is funding.

“It’ll be into the fall and they can start up in the spring again, Siciliano said. “They don’t have authority to do any enforcement. They instruct people what the rules are.”

The item was a first read and the Selectmen will tentatively do a second read at their next meeting.