HIGHLANDS – An overgrown and underutilized park in the center of town is being eyed as a potential public dog park.
Frank Hall Park, named after the mayor of the borough from 1955 to 1956, is located on Miller Street. Some residents might not even know it exists, members of the borough council joked at the Wednesday, Feb. 5 meeting, when it came up for discussion.
“The park itself is very rarely used. It has a lot of overgrown vegetation,” said Mayor Carolyn Broullon, describing the invasive English ivy that harms the trees at the park. “A park that’s dedicated to one of our former mayors could finally be enjoyed by the people of the borough.”
Borough officials are investigating whether the change will increase any insurance costs, as well as other factors, before moving forward. But borough administrator Kim Gonzales said there doesn’t seem to be any state restrictions on converting it.
“It is premature at this point, but I wanted to transform a seldom-used park into a place that would be a focal point for the community,” Broullon said. She did not comment on where the idea came from to transform the property into a dog park, but said she would be happy to discuss it further when more information is available.
Highlands is not alone in its pursuit to bring a dog park to town. Holmdel Township is also considering the idea, proposed by the Ching family in honor of their late son Alex. The 24-year-old Holmdel resident died Christmas morning 2018 after a battle with cancer.
“We were thinking about what he loved. He loved dogs. Therapy dogs made all the difference to him for his recovery and attitude,” his mother Lisa Ching told The Two River Times in November after the council opened up the discussion on the potential dog park.
On Feb. 6 Ching said the family has remained in close contact with the Holmdel Township Committee about the plans. They “have continued to be very supportive,” she added. Two potential locations are being focused on as of now, but they have not been disclosed. They hope to get an update by the end of the month.
“Of course we’re excited to get to the groundbreaking stage, but also appreciate the process involved in getting to that point,” Ching said.
The Monmouth County Park System operates two off-leash dog parks – one in Thompson Park in the Lincroft section of Middletown and the other at Wolf Hill Recreation Area on Crescent Place in Oceanport. The area in Thompson Park is 1.5 acres and accommodates dogs of all sizes. Most of the park is sectioned off for dogs over 35 pounds, but a quarter acre of the property is designated for smaller dogs under 35 pounds. Wolf Hill Recreation Area has a 4-acre space designated for dogs, also sectioned off for smaller and larger ones.
Tom Fobes, superintendent of park operations with the Monmouth County Park System, said the two off-leash areas are very popular, not only for the dogs but for their owners as well. “Not only are they a place for people to obviously bring their dogs and where their dogs can recreate, but it’s also a place where the people are recreating,” he said. People meet new people, make new friends and get to be social while their dogs do the same. “It’s kind of a two-fold purpose, I think,” he added.
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 13, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
