“If you go over these, you can knock the axle off your trailer,” said Steve Arnold, pointing to two rocks protruding from the Russells Mills Landing.

A boater for the past 55 years and living down the road, Arnold keeps tabs on the Horseneck Road location where he likes to launch his 25-foot boat.

“I thought it was reasonable to approach the Parks Department and ask them to remove some of these rocks,” he said.

Arnold said he can squeeze his trailer through the nine-foot gap, but that it’s a difficult angle to maneuver around and towards the water. He also said that after chasing the Parks and Recreation Department for two years in a row, he found that it’s not a park issue.

“It’s a conservation issue. It’s not a maintenance issue,” said Parks and Recreation director Tim Lancaster.

Via e-mail, Environmental Affairs Coordinator for Dartmouth’s Conservation Commission Michael O’Reilly said that removal is potentially permissible, but without an official filing from the resident, the Conservation Committee cannot review the case and issue a permit.

“Because they are within close proximity of the water (and possible underwater at high tide), they cannot be removed without a permit,” said O’Reilly.

He explained—in accordance with the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act—that unless the changes are necessary, the Conservation Commission prefers not to touch anything.

Conservation Officer Marc Garrett explained that to ignite a response, a formal filing must be turned into the Conservation Commission at Town Hall. “They have to convince the Town of Dartmouth that the project is important enough to do,” he said.

Following that, the party would then have to approve or deny the request. Approvals are usually coupled with 20 to 25 conditions, rules explaining how the process must be executed, said Garrett.

Lancaster was unable to say how many people use the park because the department doesn't issue stickers for that area.

Maintenance updates include a new bathroom facility that was installed in early June. The former facility at 50 Horseneck Road was installed in 1996, along with a playground area.