Dog park on Easy Street being planned in Howell
BY TOYNETT HALL Staff Writer

HOWELL - Four thousand licensed dogs and their owners may eventually have a park created just for them. If all plans fall into place, a dog park could be open in the community by the spring of 2009.

The Howell Parks and Recreation Department and the Recreation Advisory Committee have set out to develop a facility dedicated for this purpose.

The Monmouth County Open Space Grant Program, a trust fund for cooperative projects with Monmouth County municipalities, will fund the proposed dog park through a 50 percent matching grant in the amount of $169,000.

According to Bryan Haltigan, director of parks and recreation, the dog park will be built on Easy Street just off Lakewood-Farmingdale Road (Route 547). It will be a part of the Bonim Tract. Haltigan said the dog park could be between a half-acre and 1 acre in size.

The proposed site was chosen because there are no houses on either side of the park and because this specific area "really did not have much practical purpose for anything else," Haltigan said. "One of the most unique and ideal reason for picking Easy Street as the location is that three sides of the location are surrounded by woods and wetlands.

"On the fourth side of Easy Street is a large open area with no houses. It is quite a serene area. Trees surround three-quarters of it and there is no heavy traffic. It makes for a very ideal setting for a dog park," he said.

Originally there were to be three small soccer fields proposed for the Bonim Tract, but after officials looked over the land they realized it was not suitable for soccer facilities due to the close proximity of the fields to the street.

Mayor Joseph DiBella expressed his pleasure with the idea of a dog park and said credit should be given to Interim Manager Helene Schlegel. DiBella said when Schlegel was Howell's recreation director she made the suggestion to have such a park. In the original Bonim Tract plans there was money allocated for a dog park.

DiBella said the dog park will "give owners an opportunity to bring out their pets and have them engage in a situation where they are not perhaps causing an inconvenience to their neighbors. This will be a space where owners can bring their dogs to congregate."

Dog parks typically permit owners to allow their pets to run off-leash. Some dog parks are divided into separate areas for small dogs and large dogs.

The amenities proposed for the Howell dog park include water fountains for humans and dogs; pet waste stations; dog agility obstacles; a shade structure; benches; separate entrance and exit vestibules; landscaping; natural grass berms; a thick stone dust surface along the perimeter of the fences; natural grass surface on the center areas; and parking areas.

According to Haltigan, the maintenance of the dog park will be relatively low and sustained through a user registration fee.

"We already have plans to mow and maintain the grass areas in that section as part of the Bonim Tract project so that really is of no additional cost. The fees that we collect during registration will help to hire or supplement (personnel). We already employee three park attendants in the recreation department that do some minor maintenance of our parks," Haltigan said.

Schlegel said people as well as dogs will see the benefits of a dog park.

"The socialization of dogs actually makes them a better dog. They are less likely to bark, they are less likely to be fearful and they tend to be friendlier," she said. "Dogs are social animals; not only does it benefit the dogs, it is also a socialization for the humans. There is more to the dog park than just bringing animals there to run around."

Resident Janet Coakley was pleased with the idea of a dog park in Howell.

"One of the unique things about dog parks is that they are self-policing. The people who frequent them understand that dogs have to behave themselves. The people who are there literally throw out the dogs that do not behave. There are dog parks all over the world and they are very successful," Coakley said.

If all of the plans fall into place the dog park on Easy Street could be up and running by the spring of 2009, depending on whether Howell is awarded the full amount of any grants it applies for, Haltigan said.