Girl Scouts Show Love For Four-Legged Friends, Spruce Up Dog Park

PECONIC, NY — Local Girl Scouts going for their Silver Award decided to give back to their four-footed friends and help spruce up the dog park on Peconic Lane in Peconic.

"All of us are huge dog fans," said Girl Scout Claire Stevens, 14, who's in eighth grade in the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District and came before the Southold Town board at Tuesday's work session to present the project idea she and her fellow Scouts in Troop 1575 have prepared.

The Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout cadette can earn.

Lynn Stevens, Claire's mom, said the girls, when working on their Bronze Award, built bird houses for San Simeon.

So it was a natural to think of the dog park when it came time to put together a plan for their Silver Award "Bark Park" project, Claire said.

Her friend Katie had recently visited the park because she got two new dogs. At first, the girls thought of an obstacle course, but the park is too small, she said.

Instead, plans include a new "welcome sign," visible to passerby coming down both sides of Peconic Lane, that will be made with wood posts, vinyl trim and aluminum, she said. The sign will be adorned with the words "dog park," along with paw prints and an arrow for those who might not know where the park is sited, she told the board.

Katie, Claire said, plans to create two "woof" mats, to sit at the entrance to both the parks for larger and smaller dogs.

The mats will be made with wooden frames, at least three inches deep with a flat surface so no one will trip, with cement and shells from local beaches, she said.

In addition, another Girl Scout, Jada, will head the part of the project that involves replacing the current doggie disposal bags with plastic bags from supermarkets. Those will be distributed in the corners of the dog parks.

Girl Scout Ainsley Brewer also plans to create benches outside the dog park so children, who are not currently allowed inside, can sit safely and watch the dogs play and run. The benches will be made of composite materials to prevent splintering and will include hooks for leashes.

Jeff Standish, director of public works for Southold Town, who is overseeing the project, said using the plastic bags will not only promote recycling but save the town $600 per year. Trash cans already exist for park users to deposit the bags, he said.

The project is set to commence as soon as possible, Claire said.

Another important component of the plan, said Lynn Stevens, is a poster campaign that will help residents learn about donating their plastic bags. The posters will be set up at supermarkets and other areas.

Councilwoman Jill Doherty said the poster could be put on the town's website and Supervisor Scott Russell said a PSA could be put on Channel 22.

"This is a big project and we're very excited by it. It's not just one little thing, it's the whole park," Standish said.

"We'll support it any way we can," Russell said.