Changes are coming to Aspinwall's dog park

Aspinwall officials are making changes to access and regulation of the borough’s dog park.

Dogs can roam free in the Aspinwall Recreation Area ball fields Nov. 1 through March 31. The infields are fenced off to limit damage to the baseball playing area.

Residents and nonresidents will have to register their pets and pay a fee to use the park this season.

There was no fee for nonresidents in previous seasons.

Resident fees will go from $10 to $15 for the season for the first pet and $10 for each additional dog.

Nonresident fees are $30 for the first pet and $15 for each additional dog.

Fees for additional dogs also are new this season.

Dog park users in previous years paid just one registration fee, which covered all the user’s dogs.

Councilwoman Marcia Cooper announced the changes during a meeting Wednesday, Oct. 11.

A key fob will be issued to those who register their pets so they can access the park as part of a new security measure.

“The police cannot be down there monitoring the dogs,” Cooper said.

“It will alleviate some of the issues we had last year and make it a safer, more enjoyable park for everybody.”

Pet registration applications are available at the borough office.

Borough Manager Melissa O’Malley said council will have to formally vote on the fees and other changes next month.

Some things, such as the keyfob system, may not be ready by opening day.

Resident Steve Kochanowski volunteered to create an Aspinwall Dog Park Facebook and Google page.

He said he is an avid dog lover. His family has a 1.5-year-old Shih Tzu Poodle mix named Bella.

He lauded council for the proposed fob system and welcomed the other dog park recommendations.

“The fob system is going to be great because before we didn’t have that,” he said. “People could come over with five (and) six dogs. They are not registering their dogs. I’m a big fan of the changes.

Another suggestion for the dog park was separating the lower ballpark from the upper ballpark so there is a space for residents to use the area and not have to interact with dogs.

It was unclear how the land would be separated.

Two more dog waste stations also will be installed at the park this season courtesy of Alcosan.

In other matters

Council unanimously voted Wednesday, Oct. 11, to approve a handicap parking space at 201 Fourth St.

It is part of a compromise between the borough and a resident a few doors down who has been asking for a space for weeks.

Borough officials recently went out to the street, which already has at least two handicap spaces, to determine how to accommodate the request for another one.

O’Malley said officials will revisit the road in the spring and possibly do more line painting to adjust parking spaces along the street.