Robert Harriman, walking his Jack Russell terriers on the Center Trail on New Year’s Day, said having the town dog park at Fruit Street would be “more convenient.” PHOTO/JERRY SPAR

The town Parks and Recreation Commission, at its Dec. 10 meeting, voted 5-0 to relocate a proposed dog park from the town-owned Hughes property off Hayden Rowe Street to town land on Fruit Street.

Last year’s Town Meeting voted down funding for a dog park on the Hughes property following negative testimony from many residents in that neighborhood.

At least 50 of those same neighbors attended the recent Parks and Recreation Commission meeting to reiterate their opposition to the Hughes site.

The Fruit Street property, however, offers 257 acres of town-owned land. Along with town wells and open space, there already are turf and grass fields operated by the Parks and Recreation Commission.

In a recent interview, Parks and Recreation Commission chair Dan Terry discussed the pros and cons of the Fruit Street location.

“Although we haven’t picked an exact location, there is plenty of land, and parking should not be a problem,” he said.

The Parks and Recreation Commission is requesting $150,000 from the town’s Community Preservation Act funds for Open Space and Recreation.

“CPA funding will be used along with private grant funding in the amount of $250,000 towards engineering, material and labor,” according to a filing with the town Community Preservation Commission.

The town was awarded a $250,000 grant from the Stanton Foundation last year for the dog park.

“We will have to reapply for that grant, but I don’t foresee a problem,” Terry said.