Southwick Council on Aging votes to back dog park on 32.8-acre Tilcon donation

Council on Aging · Meeting of March 9, 2026

Southwick's Council on Aging unanimously backed a support letter for a proposed dog park on 32.8 acres donated by Tilcon off Hudson Drive. Diane Gale, founder of the Friends of the Southwick Dog Park nonprofit, told the board the facility would include large-dog, small-dog, and senior-friendly zones, covered solar-panel shade structures, and a newcomers introduction area, with solar revenue directed back to the town to offset electric costs. Gale estimated the base build at roughly $250,000, excluding solar, and said the group is pursuing private foundation grants rather than Community Preservation Committee funds.

The board also confirmed two master plan priority items — ride-sharing access and broader senior engagement — as substantially complete ahead of a June 30, 2026 deadline, and debated whether to decouple the senior center's snow-day closure policy from the school district's schedule, with Select Board and master plan liaison Diane Gale pledging to seek a formal town answer on liability.

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Source: the Council on Aging meeting of March 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.