Dog Park Plan Takes a Step Forward in Port Chester

The Port Chester village Board of Trustees set in motion the legal steps that could lead to creation of a new dog park at the village's Abendroth Park.

After watching an updated presentation from the Port Chester Dog Park Group, which has been advocating the creation of an legal, off-leash area for dog owners to exercise their pets in the village, the board approved a public hearing to formally consider the proposal.

At the heart of the proposal, according to dog park advocate Dina Goren, is the dog park group wants to add the new facility to the Port Chester park system without any cost to village taxpayers. Goren said she and other members of the group will actively seek grants for the project and launch a fundraising effort to support the project.

However, Goren said the group needs to have a location for the dog park so its details could be formalized to move forward with the grant and fundraising process.

Goren said her group is proposing the placement of a dog park at the upper level of Abendroth Park after a review of the park system in Port Chester. The proposal for Abendroth Park has received the backing of the Port Chester Park Commission.

The proposed park, in its current form, would create a fenced-in area that would actually contain three separate areas for dogs:

- One for small dogs

- One for "dogs in training"

- One for all friendly dogs

A variety for methods for providing access to the park are under consideration, including electronic key-cards. Village Board of Trustees member Bart Didden, in his final meeting as a trustee, suggested that the village could even take advantage of technology used for EZPass toll collection tags to control access. Instead of having the expense of issuing key cards, Didden said EZPass tags could be used as the access keys.

Goren said the village's responsibilities would include basic maintenance as it currently performs at the park. And, in addition to fencing and gates for the dog park, the new facility would require installation of electrical and water service.

Once the park is established, Goren said, the park's users would become a self-policing group, ensuring that fellow users are cleaning up after their dogs and properly disposing of waste. She also contends the new park would help Port Chester cope with its existing problems with residents who let their dogs run off-leash illegally at village parks.

Goren told the village Board of Trustees that perhaps that park of most concern is Lyon Park. She said that in its efforts, the Port Chester Dog Park Group spoke with dog owners in the Lyon Park area and found that those residents said they would take their dogs to Abendroth Park — even though it would be driving across the village instead of just walking to Lyon Park.

"A dog park encourages responsible dog ownership," Goren said. "When you go to a dog park, it really becomes a community."

The decision to set up a public hearing was approved by the Board of Trustees in a 6-0 vote.