Red Hook-Rhinebeck dog park might close
People's pets have been fouling adjacent sports fields, and use has been less than expected.
The community dog park on Stone Church Road at the border of Red Hook and Rhinebeck might be shut down.
The matter was discussed by both town boards this week. The supervisors of each town said dog owners have allowed their pets to roam across the adjacent athletic fields without cleaning up after them.
“We have a lot of dog feces there,” said Rhinebeck Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia.
Red Hook Supervisor Robert McKeon said people who use the filed have been forced to clean up the droppings.
“The sports teams are having to clean up the dog poop ... from the fields before they can use them,” he said. “[The field administrators] talk about the fact that signage isn’t helping, and they are now talking about doing away with the dog park because it’s become such an obstacle for the adjoining sports fields.”
The dog park was created in 2014 for $5,000 and consists of separate fenced areas for small and large dogs. Officials expected the cost to be recovered within three years by way of permits that cost $25 per year, but use of the park has been far less than expected.
“We only have 12 people signed up now,” Spinzia said.
The park has brought in total revenue of $2,700, Spinzia said, but “while good-intentioned, it seems to be causing problems with people bringing dogs and letting them run around the fields.”
The entire recreation site straddles the Red Hook-Rhinebeck border and is operated by Rhinebeck under an agreement between the two towns.
Rhinebeck Councilman Joseph Gelb wondered whether the dog park could be kept open with better enforcement of rules.
“What struck me is that the dog park is separate from the ball fields,” he said. “It’s behind the ball fields. If we do something with the dog park, how does that change anything at the ball fields?”