Hempstead creating park within a park for dogs

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Photo Credit: Scott Brinton
Original Article Source
By Scott Brinton, East Rockaway Herald (May 6, 2016)

Cooper, Oliver and Sparkles joined Town of Hempstead officials on Thursday as they broke ground on a $250,000, 14,025-square-foot dog park at Newbridge Road Park in Bellmore. The trio of canines were all owned by town employees.

The park, which will likely be complete this summer, will be built by town workers, said town spokesman Michael Deery.

Town Supervisor Anthony Santino led Cooper, a golden retriever, through his paces as the dog sped through a temporary mini-obstacle course similar to the one that will be permanently installed at the park.

Barbara Simms, of Freeport, is Cooper’s owner. She had brought Cooper to other dog parks, she said, “and they’re a little small.”

When built, the facility will be Hempstead’s first dog park. “This is something that is very exciting,” Santino said. “This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time.”

Only dogs owned by Hempstead residents that are licensed, with current tags and vaccinations, will be allowed at the park. The facility will feature “paw-friendly” synthetic-turf surfaces and concrete walkways, and it will be enclosed by a six-foot chain-link fence.

The park will be divided into two parts –– a 9,300-square-foot section for large dogs and a 4,600-square-foot one for small dogs. It will feature ramps, tubes and hurdles for the canines, and picnic tables, benches, water fountains and shaded areas for the humans.

The facility will be located on the south end of Newbridge Park.