Pixabay/Margate dog park has been slated for a makeover.
MARGATE It's been 10 years since the Anne Pancoast Dog Park at Freemont and Argyle avenues opened near the Ventnor border. City officials agreed last week that it's time for a makeover.
The Margate dog park was built on a landfill for around $60,000 and opened in October 2009, but over the years, the surface has degraded, and glass and metal shards pose a danger to precious pet paws, resident Steve Moore told the Margate Board of Commissioners Thursday, March 21.
Unfortunately, since it has been built, very little has been done keep the park maintained, Moore said. After years of dogs running on it, it's pretty worn down.
Glass, cans, stones and PVC pipes that were once buried in the landfill are coming up out of the ground, he said.
We are really concerned about the safety of our dogs, he said.
He recommended the city resurface the entire park, estimated to be about 16,000 square feet, with 2-inches of fill dirt and 5-inches of masonry sand. He provided commissioners with two estimates of the cost.
We took this model from the EHT Park which just was built a year ago. They are having good success with it, Moore said.
When it rains, the park becomes a mud pit, he said. Adding fill and sand would allow the park to drain better, especially during heavy storms.
Moore also asked the city to paint all the fences, which are down to bare metal, fix broken locks, especially at the main gate, and fix the leaking, rusted and broken water fountains.
Mayor Michael Becker said the city would use the resources of the Public Works Department to upgrade the park and the only cost the city will incur is for fill dirt.
Becker said the city would investigate Moore's resurfacing recommendation to determine if there is a better way to do it, he said.
Commissioner John Amodeo said raising the surface would be beneficial because the park is in a low-lying area.
During heavy rain it floods back there, Amodeo said. We have to be a little cautious that when we go through this process that it is pitched away from the residences on Argyle Avenue.
He asked that the city engineer review the recommendations.
Commissioner Maury Blumberg said the city should find a way to confine the sand to the site during flooding events.
We love our pets, as I'm sure you do, and we are sure the City of Margate would want to make this a better park that the city can be proud of, Moore said.
I think this is something we have to do, Becker said. We will find the money somehow, I would hope.
In August last year, the city entered a shared services agreement to allow Ventnor residents to use the park, which backs up to athletic fields at the Ventnor Educational Community Complex. Ventnor agreed to share in the cost of maintaining the park by paying the City of Margate $3,500 annually.
Margate stopped collecting the user fee at that time.
Margate and Ventnor pet owners may use the park as long as their dogs are vaccinated and licensed in their respective municipalities.
I also think we should go back to the $30 registration fee, to get the revenue for the park, Moore said. Also, we want to make sure the dogs are up on their vaccinations.
The Margate City Dog Park was in existence for about five years before it was dedicated May 13, 2014 to the memory of community activist Anne Pancoast, a dog lover who petitioned the city to build the park.
Pancoast spent much of her time with Lance, her beloved Hungarian short-haired Vizla, and felt strongly that pet owners should have a special place for canine recreation.
The park is open 8 a.m. to dusk, and users accept all liability for damages suffered by any person animal, according to the park's Rules and Regulations, which are posted on the margate-nj.com website.
