ADAMS, Mass. — Town officials are getting fed up with dog feces littering not only the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail but town parks and playing fields.

 

Parks Commissioner Cynthia Bird told the rest of the commissioners Monday night that poop is a townwide issue and even litters the outfield of Russell Field.

 

"There is dog poop all over the field," she said. "My daughter is on the team and they were fielding balls in the outfield and throwing them back and it was on their hands and cleats it is just nasty and unsanitary."

 

The issue has come up in years past and last week the Board of Health heard from a group of citizens who felt the dog poop was really getting out of hand, specifically on the rail trail.

 

The board had no immediate solution but believed it was a matter of enforcement, education, and respect for the community. The board agreed to hold workshops in the near future in order to find a solution.

 

Bird said she had heard that dog waste was also an issue at the Little League field and Lou Moser of Adams Cheshire Softball said the Department of Public Works often catches dog owners letting their pets run around Ried Field unleashed. 

 

She added that now that it affects the parks, the dog waste problem now becomes a Parks Commission issue. 

 

"This is a park and people are so reckless to allow their dogs to defecate all over these parks," she said. "I don't even know what the playgrounds look like but I am concerned for the safety of the kids."

 

Bird noted that this is not an issue at Renfrew Field because the field is locked and asked that similar security and enforcement measures are placed at Russell after the renovation. 

 

"I would like to see something done and I would hope that all of the extra efforts that we put into Renfrew Field to keep it so pristine happens at Russell," she said. "People need to know that it's not a dog park."

 

Moser agreed and said it reflects poorly on the town.

 

"We have away teams come up and those girls are going to ask what are these people doing up here," he said.

 

The Selectmen have also acknowledged the issue and noted that the new animal control officer/ meter reader employee will play a role in combating this.

 

Chairman Scott Cernik added that this employee must be privy to how this issue also affects the parks. 

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"It's a townwide issue and its on the rail trail, the parks, the sidewalks," he said. "It is disgusting and is rampant all over town."