Tercentennial Park
November 19th, 2006Â 
Today we took a walk in Tercentennial Park, which is the site of the old V.A. hospital on Dudley Road. The hospital it self is gone but a lot of the smaller structures on its “campus” are still there. Walking around you can find old building foundations and fire hydrants too.
At each entrance there are signs asking people to please clean up after their dogs, including this updated version threatening a ban on dogs in the park at all:
As we walked through the park we realized why they needed to post this.
We found poop throughout the park, all sightings were right on the main walking paths. Someone just let their dog take a huge dump right in the middle of the 9/11 memorial path, (dedicated to the 17 Framingham residents who died that day) which I thought was particularly lame. There are free dog poop pick-up bags in a dispenser right next to the sign asking people to pick up after their dogs, so there is really no excuse not to do that.
(click here if you want to see the poop we saw)
Other than that it’s a pretty nice park to take a stroll through.
I really liked this park. It’s big and open with a lot of open space as well as picturesque old trees. It’s interesting to follow the old roadways from the hospital that sort of end up nowhere or in overgrown parking lots. I suppose eventually all trace of the old hospital (http://www.framingham.com/history/aerial97/cushing.htm) will be removed, but I kind of like that sense of history you get from the remnants that are still there right now.
Comment by Ethan — November 20, 2006 @ 12:04 am
It IS a great place to walk. I have not been there for awhile, but in the past I used to walk and even bike ride there quite a bit. Your comments about dogs and what they leave behind are well taken! At parks throughout Framingham, people just walk their dogs and let them do their business regardless of the policy about dogs…Butterworth Park is a case in point. It’s part of why I’m frankly NOT a dog lover…
Comment by Rev. Bob Baril — November 20, 2006 @ 3:14 am
I really don’t know why I clicked that link….
Dog poop in the park is kind of like the screaming baby at a restaturant.
Is it the kid’s fault that he is screaming at the top of his lungs? No. His parents just haven’t taught him how to express himself properly yet, maybe he’s too young, or maybe the parents aren’t considerate enough to take him out of the room.
Dogs do what’s natural to them. Is it their fault that their owners are inconsiderate schmucks?
Disclaimer: I am a father of two human boys, and one canine one.
Comment by Jeff — November 20, 2006 @ 5:10 am
It was a lot nicer before they built the assisted living units. With luck, maybe it will turn into another SMOC drug rehab place!
Comment by Stan — November 20, 2006 @ 9:05 pm
We walk here all the time- and pick up after our dog! I really don’t understand how people can’t pick up after their dogs- the parks has placed poop bags at all four corners of the part- they can’t make it any more convenient. It would be a shame for inconsiderate people to ruin it for the rest of us…
Comment by Nicole — November 21, 2006 @ 4:03 pm
If any reader here ever sees a dog poop and the owner doesn’t pick up after them, I hope you call out the owner and asked them to pick it up. I love dogs and it upsets me that dog owners who are responsible owners are starting to be shut out of places that are great for walking dogs. There is a log of controversy at Callahan State Park right now in part because of the dog poop. It’s not the only issue being discussed at Callahan, but it’s one of the major ones.
Comment by scott — December 1, 2006 @ 2:56 pm