Park arf-limits during restoration
After a season of heavy use, off-leash area in need of repair
The cannons and the mounds of earth are symbols of Fort Washington's storied past. The holes burrowed into the mounds, the grassless field surrounding the flagpole, with claw marks in the dirt, tell the story of its more recent history.
Fort Washington is a ring of earthworks created in 1775 during the siege of Boston. Last year, this Cambridgeport landmark was designated as a place where dog owners could let their pets roam without a leash.
But after a season of heavy use, Fort Washington will be closed this fall to restore the earthworks.
"I knew it was coming," said Catherine Johnson, a Cambridgeport resident walking her dog, Mookie, on a recent afternoon at Fort Washington.
While noting the damage caused by dogs, Johnson said, "I like to walk over here. It's fenced and it's a nice place, a meeting place for dogs and people with dogs."
It's not the first time Cambridge has had to deal with damage caused by dogs in an off-leash area. Fresh Pond Reservation's off-leash area, which was the only one in the city until last year, underwent considerable restoration work before being reopened. Controversy has now arisen over its use by dog owners from other communities. Water Department officials proposed allowing only Cambridge-licensed dogs wearing a special medallion to roam free there, but that plan has been put on hold indefinitely.
However, Fort Washington and a recently opened Pacific Street off-leash area are limited to Cambridge-licensed dogs.
Fort Washington's use as an off-leash dog park was approved for five years by the Cambridge Historical Commission in January 2006. But as its staff fielded concerns over the damage to the earthworks this spring, executive director Charles Sullivan has told city officials that the approval could be withdrawn.
Fort Washington, a three-gun battery, was one of several forts that General George Washington ordered erected in 1775 on both sides of the Charles River to protect the Continental Army's encampment on Cambridge Common from assault by British forces in Boston. It is the only one of the forts remaining, although with the marshes between it and the river filled and with the Hyatt Regency hotel and several MIT buildings blocking any view of the Charles, its military role is no longer obvious.
But even as the surrounding Cambridgeport area became industrialized, the fort and its earthworks were preserved. An iron fence with cannon-like fence posts was erected in the 1850s, and life-sized steel figures of Revolutionary War soldiers and a Victorian woman were installed in 1987. The site is now a historic district.
In response to growing concerns about the recent damage, Department of Public Works commissioner Lisa Peterson said Fort Washington will be closed sometime this fall after the project goes out to bid and a contractor is selected to restore the park.
The work, she said, will include installation of an in-ground irrigation system, reseeding of the grassy areas, and restoration of the earthworks.
Peterson also noted that with the opening of the off-leash park in a corner of the youth soccer field at nearby Pacific Street, there would be an opportunity to alternate use of the two sites, taking each out of service in turn for restoration.
With the number of dogs registered in Cambridge rising to 2,303 as of March 31 from 2,205 a year earlier, another off-leash area is being planned for Danehy Park in North Cambridge.
A dog owner visiting the Fort Washington site, East Cambridge resident John Robinson, who is also a hired dog walker, has been to the Pacific Street park. However, he said he was concerned that it was "being used as a drinking spot by the homeless." That, he said, had been the case at Fort Washington before it became a popular spot for dog owners.
City Councilor Brian Murphy, whose Public Facilities Committee includes a working group on dog-park issues, said the city had addressed "the bigger challenges" of overuse by restricting to three the number of dogs that an owner, or keeper, could bring to the parks at any one time. The concern, Murphy said, "was just how many dogs a person could really have under their control."
At its meeting last month, the Cambridge Historical Commission approved signage for Fort Washington that includes the three-dog limit.
The commission, said Sullivan, "has been impressed by the level of intelligent thinking on this matter. We approved this use for five years and we didn't want to take that away. We're willing to give the city another chance to make it work." 