Off Leash Area Working Group

Off-Leash Recreation Area Brochure

Dog Licensing and Permits

Off-Leash Recreation Area Financial Assistance Request

Open Off-Leash Recreation Areas

Meeting Documents

P & R Commission - Motions

Norumbega Presentation

11/15/10 Commission Presentation

10/18/10 Commission Presentation

09/20/2010 Commission Presentation

08/23/2010 Commission Presentation

05/17/2010 Commission Presentation

05/17/2010 Ordinance Change Comparison

06/20/2011 Commission Presentation

Contact Working Group

Off Leash Area Criteria

08-09-2010 Off Leash Ordinance

04/26/2010 Presentation to the Commission

Off Leash Area Working Group Taskforce Agendas & Minutes

Robert J. DeRubeis

Robert J. DeRubeis is the Commissioner of the Parks & Recreation Department and has been a member of the Parks & Recreation Department for the past 23 years, the last nine years as the Deputy Commissioner. He has been working on the implementation of off leash sites for the past year, most recently sitting as a member of the Dog Off Leash Advisory Committee. Commissioner DeRubeis holds a B.S. from UMass/Boston, an Ed.M from Boston University and a J.D. from the Massachusetts School of Law.

Amy Koel

Amy Koel holds a doctorate in developmental psychology from Cornell University. Since 1999 she has been working with adults, children and families - and their companion dogs - providing both basic training and treatment of canine behavioral issues. Since its inception in 2002, she has been a consultant for the "Pawprints" therapy dog visitation program at Children's Hospital Boston, and responsible for evaluating the dog-handler pairs who visit patients and families. She is particularly interested in promoting responsible dog ownership and training, and in improving the relationships of people to their dogs. She was a citizen member of the Special Task Force which was established by the Board Of Aldermen in 2005 to study whether and, if so, how to permit off-leash areas in Newton. She has been chair of the Dogs Off-Leash Advisory Committee since it was formed in December, 2007.

Carol Schein

Carol Schein has B.S. in Environmental Design from Syracuse University and a Certificate in Landscape Design from Radcliffe College. She is a landscape designer for the Parks and Recreation Department, responsible for the review and coordination of proposed and planned improvements to the City's parks and traffic islands. Her role in the group is to ensure that any off-leash area is an appropriate fit for the public space and its users.

Susan Albright

Susan Albright, BA, Tufts University, studied for MUP in Urban Planning at NYU. She is the Director for Educational Technology at Tufts University School of Medicine leading a group in writing health sciences schools educational software used in the US, Africa, and India. She served on the School Committee as both Vice Chair and Chair and now serves on the Board of Aldermen on the Land Use and Public Facilities Committees and as chair of Committee on Community Preservation. Ms. Albright chaired the off-leash dog task force on behalf of the Board of Aldermen listening to Newton residents and learning how off-leash dogs are being dealt with across the US. This task force proposed the ordinance now in effect. She serves on the DOLAC as the aldermanic representative.

Candace Havens

For the last two of her 16 years in Newton, Candace has worked as the City's Chief Planner, serving the City's Land Use Committee and overseeing the work of the current/long-range planning staff. She has worked in both the public and private sectors as a city planner, mediator, and assistant city manager and holds a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. from the University of California in Sociology/Urban Studies. She is currently serving as the Planning Director and is interested in helping create public spaces all residents can enjoy.

Lee McIntyre

Lee McIntyre has a Ph.D. in Philosophy and he writes philosophy for the general public. He is also a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University and a part-time lecturer in bioethics at Simmons College. He owns three dogs: Homer (a golden retriever), Juno and Hector (both German shepherds). He got interested in the question of animal welfare as a result of his philosophical work (and love for dogs)

Officer Ralph Torres

Carol Stapleton

Ted Kuklinski

Ted Kuklinski has been a long term board member of the Newton Conservators, Newton's open space advocacy organization, where he has edited their email news, coordinated lectures, led bird walks, produced the Environmental Show on NewTV, coordinated the "76 Webster Park" CPA open space/community housing proposal, and co-chaired the Habitat for Humanity project on the site. He has also been active in improvement projects at the Dolan Pond Conservation Area and Wellington Park. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT,and operates a technology business. His interest in Newton's wonderful open spaces is credited to many years of walking the family golden retriever.

Walter Bernheimer