[slideshow_deploy id=’899′]
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
Tenafly, New Jersey—It appears Tenafly’s dog lovers will finally get a chance to chew on real-life plans for a dog park—plans likely to come to fruition after years of begging for action.
A possible vote on a dog park proposal seems likely Aug. 13 when the borough engineer presents revised dog park plans. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.
Several times over the last few years, proposals for dog parks were considered by council members but never materialized.
Hoping to keep costs on a leash, borough council members discussed a dog park proposal July 16, with a tab as low as $17,000, but appeared to loosen the reins a bit and asked the borough engineer to design a larger dog park, featuring separate areas for small and large dogs.
$50K set aside for park
Borough council members set aside $50,000 in capital funds last year for the project, said Borough Clerk Lissette Aportella.
While Councilman Maxim Basch and Mayor Peter Rustin disagreed over who did what and why the possible dog park size had decreased, most members agreed to have Borough Engineer Andy Hipolit provide specifications and costs for a larger dog park on Aug. 13.
Rustin urged action to get a dog park done this year and suggested forming a dog park committee to oversee the park.
Borough Administrator Jewel Thompson-Chin noted a proposal made last fall included two adjacent parks, 80-by-80 feet and 40-by-40 feet, and cost approximately $50,000.
The proposed dog park is planned for a grassy, tree-dotted area adjacent to the municipal complex driveway, almost directly opposite Borough Hall.
Previously, council members had toured the proposed site, marked off by wooden stakes laid out by Hipolit.
[slideshow_deploy id=’899′]
Dog park proposal Aug. 13
While the original design—estimated at $17,000—was deemed too small, council members asked for costs and design of a new park estimated at 40 feet long by 40 feet wide, and 100 feet long by 60 feet wide.
Each will be lined with pea gravel, a curb surrounding it to hold in the gravel, and a nearby water source to keep animals hydrated. One is for small dogs; one is for large dogs.
Another suggestion was made for an 80-foot-by-80-foot dog park. A 4-foot-high fence is proposed around the park’s perimeter.
Hipolit was expected to again stake out a proposed dog park site for members to tour and inspect on Aug. 13.
Future park upgrades
Tenafly Chamber of Commerce President Christine Evron, who hosts a website that promotes a local dog park, has been a longtime advocate. She presented council members with a three-page letter pointing out possible park considerations and offered to raise funds for park upgrades not possible in the borough’s budget.
She addressed dog park size, surface, fencing, water, seating, and other features including nearby trash cans, signs indicating regulations, landscaping to minimize barking, a covered area for inclement weather, a small shed outside the park, a news kiosk, fence hooks for leashes, and a wash station.
She noted that a 6-foot fence around the park makes more sense than the proposed 4-foot fence.
“Tenafly is an upscale community. A 6-foot aluminum fence with ‘puppy blocker’ to prevent small dogs escaping looks better. Double-gated entries allow wheelchair access, prevent escapes, give an area to remove leashes and reduce anxiety of dogs entering parks with many dogs already there,” she wrote to members.
[slideshow_deploy id=’899′]
