Barking For A Dog Park In Rockville Centre

Sen. Todd Kaminsky and Rockville Centre Mayor Francis X. Murray have joined together to call on the state to create a dog park at Hempstead Lake State Park. Kaminsky and Murray wrote a joint letter to the Parks and Recreation Long Island Regional Director Wayne Horsley to request he study the proposal.

“Pets are extensions, if not outright members of many of the families who reside in the greater Rockville Centre area,” Kaminsky and Murray wrote. “In light of the park’s central location and the availability of open space there, we believe that this particular spot is suitable for just such an establishment.”

Hempstead Lake State Park offers many different kids of outdoor activities, but has no area for pets. The two representatives wrote in the letter that if the dog park is created, those that go there will see all that Hempstead Lake State Park has to offer and come back to enjoy other amenities there — such as fishing, horseback riding, tennis and much more.

"We have heard from many constituents who are without a dog park within a reasonable distance from their homes," the letter reads. "The availability of a safe and nearby location for owners to play outdoors with their pets should not be a luxury. In light of the park’s central location and the availability of open space there, we believe that this particular spot is suitable for just such an establishment."

The closest dog parks to Rockville Centre are located in Valley Stream and Bay Park.