Dog park leaders plan May opening

With the opening of Valley Stream’s new dog park about three months away, organizers are finalizing plans for the grand opening celebration.

The Friends of the Valley Stream Dog Park group met last Thursday night at Sip This, as members discussed what needs to be done before the planned May opening. Right now, dog park leaders hope to open up the facility, being built near Village Hall alongside the railroad tracks, to the public on Saturday, May 5, with a rain date of May 6.

The grand opening celebration would include pet rescue groups, vendors and veterinarians. Dog park leaders want the pet rescue groups to bring in animals looking for a good home. Vendors would include pet supply stores and groomers, and veterinarians would offer health tips and rabies shots. Denise Accardi said they want to make the opening a big event that would attract dog owners from around the community.

Friends organizer Richard Infield said they would also like to give out T-shirts, and have a few more “dry runs” for dog park leaders to test out the park before it opens.

Friends of the Valley Stream Dog Park is also expected to begin its fundraising efforts within the next month. However, until the group becomes a registered non-profit organization, all money it raises would first have to go to the village. Infield said he wants to set up a meeting with Valley Stream Treasurer Michael Fox to talk about how that arrangement would work, and to ensure that money raised would go to the dog park.

The big ticket item is a decomposed granite surface, which Infield said is ideal for a dog park. That would cost at least $20,000. In the meantime, dog park leaders are considering a wood chip surface, which would be inexpensive and could last six or seven years. Infield said that would give the Friends group the time to raise money for the other surface.

The Friends group will offer business sponsorships of the park. Yearly rates would range from $500 to $2,000 depending on the size of the advertisement. The plan is to have signs along the back fence listing the park’s sponsors.

Additionally, there are plans to have a board with small metal dog bones, where pet owners can have their dog’s name engraved for a one-time fee. “It memorializes their dogs,” Infield said.

So far, it is undecided who would be allowed to use the park. There would be a rate for village residents and a higher rate for Central High School District residents living outside the village, consistent with other village park fees. However, it is unknown if the park would be open to guests, or people who work in Valley Stream but live outside of the community, and what those rates would be. Friends group leaders say they don’t want the dog park to have the appearance of being a closed community.

Troop 369 Boy Scout leader Mike Powers has several scouts working on their Eagle projects for the dog park. He said his son, Shaun, is completing his sign project. The sign would list the dog park rules and courtesies, and also have room for pet health tips. Powers said the project’s primary sponsor is Central Veterinary Associates of Valley Stream.

Powers said he wants to have the village make up signs that would lead people to the dog park from Merrick Road and Central Avenue.

Friends of the Valley Stream Dog Park, which has a Facebook page, meets the first Thursday of each month. The next meeting will be held on March 1 at 7 p.m. at Sip This on Rockaway Avenue.