Dog park eyed for Rockwell Park

Nearly half a century ago, a promotional brochure for economic development in Bristol featured a pretty little waterfall in a picturesque little valley.
Crystal Glen, it said, was one of Bristol’s wonders.
Now it’s nearly forgotten, a piece of Rockwell Park that’s rarely visited and little remembered.
But that could change.
Members of the city’s Park Board are eyeing the area for fenced-in dog park that would allow dogs large and small to romp through the woods just east of the glen.
Though it will remain possible to visit Crystal Glen without going through the dog park, it’s not likely to remain quite the same quiet spot that it’s become over the years.
The dog park, pushed by a group called Bristol Area Residents for K-9s, or BARK, would have two separate areas with one devoted only to small dogs. It would be on the lower, flatter section closer to the road.
The group has raised more than $10,000 to pay for fences and other dog park needs.
The plan calls for using the parking lot near the existing footbridge over the Pequabuck and to have to have the dog park beside it.
“I’m trying to stay away from the river,” said Cindy Donovan, a park commissioner. “My whole concern is the river.”
Donovan said she’s worried about runoff from dog droppings causing water quality problems for the river.
Cuss Gutter – which apparently got its name from frustrated men trying to put in the railroad line that still crosses the brook just north of the park – runs through the small valley and eventually on to the Pequabuck River on the other side of the park road.
Park Director Ed Swicklas said he wants to ensure the dog park doesn’t block access to Crystal Glen and the woods beyond it.
The plan allows for future expansion of the dog park if advocates are able to raise more money down the road.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com