By KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
EDISON — It was barks for joy and tongue and tail wagging galore as officials in Edison and Metuchen officially opened its long-awaited community-wide dog park.
“This was a great collaboration,” said Edison Mayor Thomas Lankey at the June 29 dedication, adding a lot can get done when people work together.
Lankey, who brought his Bulldog, was joined by many dignitaries from Edison, Metuchen and the county as well as the community and many furry, four-legged friends of all sizes for the dedication ceremony.
Working together, Edison and Metuchen officials turned a long-vacant 4.3-acre Whitman Avenue property in Edison that borders Metuchen into a groomed dog park for pets and owners from both communities.
The development of the park came to fruition through the initiative and persistence of Girl Scouts Abigail “Abby” Brooks and Lilith “Lily” Rebecca Hoover, who presented their idea as part of their Girl Scout Silver project in 2013.
The idea grew with public support around it.
The youngsters collected about 575 signatures for a petition in favor of the proposal and promoted the idea at the annual Metuchen Country Fair. Abby is a member of Girl Scout Cadette Troop 80417 and Lilly is a member of Troop 80962.
Hoover, with a big smile, cut the red ribbon at the dedication ceremony.
“I’m excited to see it here … when we started, I really didn’t think this was going to happen,” she said.
Hoover, who lives in Metuchen, said the dog park committee had a soft opening last week and she has brought her dogs Seven, a Shetland shepherd, and Tiger, a Chihuahua, to the park every day since then.
Former Metuchen Mayor Thomas Vahalla, who attended the dedication, had formed an 11-person committee to explore the possibility of establishing a community dog park as a result of the girls’ petition.
Middlesex County Freeholder Charles Tomaro said it is important to note the tenacity of Robert Spiegel, executive director of the Edison Wetlands Association, to get the site where the dog park sits now cleaned up.
From 1958 to 1970, the Whitman Avenue site was owned by Chemical Insecticide Corporation.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency completed a $53 million cleanup in 2005, removing 250,000 cubic tons of soil and restoring the site to residential safety standards.
Edison bought it in 2008 for $1 million with money from the township’s Open Space Trust Fund and a state Green Acres grant.
Now, with county financial assistance, funds from Edison and Metuchen and private contributions, the dog park has been graded, landscaped and fenced. The park also has benches, water fountains, trash receptacles, walking paths and a paved parking area.
There are two separate areas — one area for bigger dogs and another for smaller dogs.
Playground equipment for dogs is also on the horizon with help from Petco and contributions from other area businesses, township officials said.
Edison and Metuchen will share dog park maintenance duties including monitoring its use, mowing, pruning and trash collection.
The Yuhas — Frank, Kris and Jonathan — of Edison, brought Winston, an 8-and-a-half-year-old English Bulldog, and Casey, their 5-month-old Cocker Spaniel, to enjoy the park.
“This is wonderful … it’s clean and there’s water,” said Kris. “We would usually go to the dog park in Highland Park.”
Gary RR, of Edison, said the new dog park was a great place for the area and for he and his wife, Debbie, to bring Onyx, their 1-year-old Mastiff Labrador.
“It’s a nice open space … it has the gravel and the grass … it’s huge,” he said, adding that it was good that officials are working on getting sheds for the park to provide shade for the dogs.
