TENAFLY, N.J.—It’s good to be a dog—as well as a dog owner in Tenafly—as the borough opens the gates on its first-ever dog park.
The long-awaited Tenafly dog park is scheduled to open at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8 at the borough’s former swim club on Grove Street, about seven months after its approval by a 4-3 vote at a July Borough Council meeting.
Officials said the park will be open from dawn to dusk and official park rules should be posted soon.
“We are still working out the exact times because we want to make sure the area is opened and locked based on the schedule,” Councilman Jeff Grossman told Northern Valley Press.
He said the council plans to invite the garden club to enhance the park grounds later this year.
“Our hope is that this becomes a multi-purpose area and not simply a dog park. It is 2 acres of land with lots of potential,” said Grossman.
The council and residents had discussed various sites on-and-off for nearly a decade before then-Mayor Peter Rustin—a long-time dog owner and park advocate—cast the deciding vote to place a dog park at the now-shuttered swim club site.
Reached Feb. 6, Rustin said he was glad to see the dog park opening, noting it’s “the best location for the park and I’m really looking forward to using it.”
He said he’ll likely bring his two dogs to the park on its opening day if weather permits.
Rustin noted a dog park committee appointed by Mayor Mark Zinna will likely conduct fundraising to add future amenities and upgrades.
One possible amenity previously mentioned could be a water station to fill water bowls at the site. Previously, council members also discussed possibly making restroom facilities available.
Council members approved $50,000 from the municipal Open Space fund for park construction.
It was unclear what final costs were; an email to borough engineer Maser Consulting was not returned by press time.
‘Very happy’ with park
“I’m very happy with this location,” said Mayor Mark Zinna, who voted in favor of the site in July.
Zinna noted “there appears to be consensus” on the council to name the park after former Mayor Peter Rustin, a long-time supporter of a Tenafly dog park.
He said costs “came in a little under” $50,000 for park construction.
He said a dog park committee will likely raise funds for water fountains and benches. Councilman Daniel Park sits on the committee, he said.
Opponents of siting a dog park at the swim club site preferred a dog park closer to Tenafly’s central business district, some supporting a park at Roosevelt Commons, others a site off of Foster Road, and others a site at Riveredge Road and Jefferson Avenue.
At the July 15 vote approving the swim club site, Councilmen Maxim Basch and Venugopal Menon and Councilwoman Lauren Dayton favored the Riveredge Road and Jefferson Avenue location.
Large, small dogs welcome
The dog park includes two fenced in areas for large and small dogs: an 80-by-80-square-foot space for large canines and 40-by-40-square-foot space for smaller dogs.
Councilman Jeff Grossman said a few borough officials will be at the park’s “soft opening” on Feb. 8, but no official ceremony is planned.
A formal dedication for the new park is likely this spring, said borough officials.
