By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Summer is the time of year when dogs are banned from Sea Isle City’s beaches and Promenade, making it difficult for the four-legged residents and visitors to run and play in some wide-open spaces.
Kim and Andy Conrad, who own a 7-month-old Labradoodle named Milo, would like Sea Isle to allow dogs on the beaches for a limited time in the morning, perhaps from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., before the sand is crowded with human sunbathers and swimmers.
In the meantime, they are happy to hear that Sea Isle is moving ahead with plans to build its first dog park, a project that has been in the discussion phase for a few years.
“I think it’s amazing. It’s a great idea,” Kim Conrad said while noting that she and her husband plan to take Milo to the dog park when it opens.
In a key step for the project, City Council voted during its June 13 meeting to seek construction bids for the dog park.
“This project has been in the planning process for some time now, and we’ve worked with the county Open Space program to finalize the designs. We’ve also secured funding from Cape May County that will pay for construction of the project,” Mayor Leonard Desiderio told Council.
Earlier, the city announced plans to seek a $996,000 grant from the Cape May County Open Space Review Board to fund the dog park.
Desiderio said in an interview after the Council meeting that he expects construction to begin in the fall and be completed in early 2024. The proposed location is in the north end of Sea Isle on Landis Avenue near Seventh Street.
Knowing that many families choose their vacation destination based on its pet-friendly reputation, Sea Isle has been looking to build its first dog park for years.
A communitywide survey conducted in 2015 included responses from local residents urging the city to create more recreation attractions, including a dog park. About 40 percent of the approximately 3,000 respondents to the survey supported a dog park.
“We’ve been asked by dog owners to do this,” Desiderio said in the interview. “They will be able to bring their four-legged friends to the dog park so they can enjoy some sunshine and meet other four-legged friends.”
Desiderio is a dog lover himself. He and his family have a shih tzu named Bruno. The mayor and his daughter, Carmela Desiderio, visited dog parks in Ocean City, Wildwood, Upper Township and Egg Harbor Township for some ideas on amenities that would make Sea Isle’s canines and their owners happy.
Sea Isle’s dog park would give canines their exclusive domain for stretching their legs year-round.
During the quiet offseason months, the city lifts its ban of dogs on the beaches, giving canines and their owners a chance to get out and frolic on the wide-open shoreline.
But come summer, the vacationers take over the beaches and dogs lose their sandy playground. Without a place to call their own, dogs and their owners usually are out walking along the streets and sidewalks in the summer for exercise.
Among the dog-friendly amenities for the new park, there would be doggy obstacles, water fountains, shaded areas and double-gated entryways to provide a safe, fenced-in environment for all of the canines.
The park would be configured to have a section for small dogs and a separate area for larger dogs.
While the focus will be on the dogs, the park would also have something for the humans, too. Visitors would find refuge from the sun and heat underneath a 24-foot-by-30-foot shade pavilion, city officials announced while the project was being considered for county funding.
The project would be built in a secluded area away from residential neighborhoods, so homeowners will not be disturbed by barking or other noise.
Parking was another consideration why the city decided to build the dog park on Landis Avenue near Seventh Street. Two new parking lots were built in the same area in 2019 as part of a restriping plan to make the Landis Avenue corridor safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Pet owners using the dog park will be able to use the same parking lots.
