Tails are wagging once again at Michael J. Tully Park.
The Town of North Hempstead unveiled a newly renovated dog park at Michael J. Tully Park after the completion of new turf installation.
“This is an incredibly popular dog park, and I know my dog Sandy loves it here, too,” Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said. “We wanted to make sure our dog families had an upgraded place to play in our ongoing efforts to renovate North Hempstead’s local parks.”
The dog park opened in 2019 and the recently completed renovations are the first since the opening.
The dog park includes separate play areas for small and large dogs, both outfitted with turf and pea gravel. Included are water and waste stations, a tunnel and other play equipment to care for the dogs’ needs as well as benches for their owners.
The latest renovation nearly doubled the dogs’ play space, adding an additional 3,200 square feet of turf. The turf replaced much of the stone surface at the park.
The renovations were funded by the federal COVID-19 stimulus funds, otherwise known as the American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA for short.
“It was use it or lose it. We had to assign this money to shovel-ready projects before the December deadline, so it looks like our furry friends got the better part of the bargain,” town Council Member Dennis Walsh said.
The recently completed turf renovations amounted to about $52,000.
The park will soon also get a new shade structure to shelter both dogs and owners from the sun during hotter months. Construction of the new structure, which amounts to another $53,000, has not yet begun, but town officials say it will be completed by the summer season.
