Dear fellow dog owners,

This is a heads up to everyone who goes to the West Hills Dog Park on Sweet Hollow Rd. that starting Sat., May 26th and running through Mon., Sept. 3rd, the Parks Dept. will have a booth set up in the parking lot to check for Green Key cards and parking passes . The booth will be manned from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on summer weekends. This is part of the Dept.'s regular summer program schedule.

Anyone who wants to use the dog park during the times when the booth is manned will need to get a Green Key card. Green Keys, which cost $20 and are good for three years, are available to Suffolk County residents with TWO forms of proof of residency—e.g., a driver's license and a utility bill (to read more about the Parks Dept.'s requirements and fees, go to www.co.suffolk.ny.us/webtemp2.cfm?dept=10&ID=43.

Our understanding is that at this time you cannot get a Green Key at West Hills . The Parks Dept. suggested that the closest Suffolk County Park that has the applications and the equipment necessary to take the required photograph is Blydenburgh in Smithtown. We would suggest calling the Parks Dept. at Blydenburgh at 854-3713 and checking as to when Green Key applications can be filled out and processed. Also, check other County parks and golf courses for Green Key availability.

Once you have a Green Key, you can get a resident pass for $25 that will be good for one year and allow you to park at West Hills, Southaven, Blydenburgh, Cathedral Pines, and Indian Island County Parks. The Department has told us they will use these fees to offset the costs of maintaining this dog park and future dog parks, including trash pickup, water and poop bags.

Please be aware that it'll cost $5 a day to park at West Hills if you do not have a Green Key and come when the booth is manned. We would suggest that our fellow dog owners from Nassau County come to the new dog park either before 8 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m. on the weekends. The pass system should not be a problem on weekdays.

Given the short notice we have gotten on the need for Green Keys and parking permits, we had asked the Parks Dept. for a temporary system that would allow dog owners to use the dog park, at least this weekend, until everyone has a chance to get their Green Key. Unfortunately, we have just been told that the system cannot be changed. We also will ask the Parks Dept. to come up with a solution for Nassau County residents who want to use the dog park on summer weekend days. We will let you know as soon as we have information on that initiative.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please spread the word with fellow dog owners that starting this weekend passes will be needed to use West Hills from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on summer weekends in order to avoid a $5 parking fee.



In other West Hills news …

The Parks Dept. has confirmed that it will turn the 1/3-acre dog run on High Hold Drive into a dog run for small dogs . This is good news for dog owners with dogs less than 25 pounds.

In the coming months, the Parks Dept. will close the High Hold Drive run, aerate the soil, plant new grass, and once turf has been established, re-open the run. Given that small dogs will have much less impact on the grass than the big dogs that have used the run in the past, the Dept. and LI-DOG believe the run will be able to maintain a grass groundcover in the future.



Also, LI-DOG still needs volunteer park stewards for the new West Hills dog run on Sweet Hollow Rd. Volunteer park stewards, which are key to making sure the new dog park is a success, should be regular users of the new dog park. Park stewards will help keep the dog park clean and make sure fellow dog owners are aware of good dog park behavior.

To read about how to become a volunteer park steward, go to our Home Page and click on the article titled, Stewardship Programs Launched at Coindre Hall, West Hills and Blydenburgh Parks, or email us at [email protected] for more information. Also, if you see someone with a Volunteer LI-DOG Park Steward button, ask him or her about our volunteer program!