Colonie’s dog lovers officially have a new spot to let their furry friends out for some recreation.
The first of two town dog parks was opened on Friday, Oct. 11, near the Mohawk River Park at 71 Schermerhorn Road. The night before, at a meeting of the Town Board, a new fee schedule for the Town Clerk’s Office was approved for dog licensing.
The registration fee will be $35 for the first dog and $15 for any additional dogs the owner wishes to register. If the owner loses the tag, it will be a $5 fee to replace the dog tag. The tags will be a different color every year in order to keep track of who has current permits, much like the inspection sticker on cars.
There are plans to open another park in the spring near the Town Of Colonie Golf Course. The parks will be developed with donated materials and built by town employees. Clough Harbour & Associates donated engineering work for the parks and Waste Connections provided fencing at the Mohawk River Park location. The fencing donation for the second park has not yet been finalized.
Each dog park is to have two fenced-in areas for the dogs to roam and socialize with other dogs. One fenced-in area will be for bigger dogs and the other for smaller dogs. There will also be sheltered areas for the owners to keep out of the elements. Dogs will have to be accompanied by someone 16 or older.