Long Island Dog Owners Group
Huntington, N.Y. 11743
lidog_news@yahoo.com

February 28, 2006

Frank Petrone, Supervisor
Town of Huntington
100 Main St.
Huntington, N.Y. 11743

Dear Supervisor Petrone:

    The Long Island Dog Owners Group has been informed that a contract to build a dog run in the woods at the foot of the Coindre Hall property is scheduled to be presented to the Huntington Town Board on Tues., March 7th. We are writing to ask that the Town not proceed with building this run at that location. There is strong, unanimous opposition among our Huntington supporters to this run and building it would be a waste of taxpayer money.

    The key reasons we are asking the Town not to proceed with the run are:

• The proposed run is far too small for the number of dog owners who use Coindre Hall. The 2003 legislation creating this specific run as well as the Town's closure of the West Shore dog run created tremendous interest in off-leash activities at Coindre Hall and the number of people who come to the park with dogs has grown significantly in the last three years. The less-than-1.5-acre run will NOT accommodate these people and their dogs.
• There is not enough parking for the large number of dog owners who use Coindre Hall. During the summer when town residents also use Gold Star Battalion Beach the situation will be ridiculously inadequate.
• Neighborhood groups oppose the site. They want any run to be located away from Browns Rd. As we experienced with the West Shore Road situation, a dog run along a roadway can be problematic.
• The proposed run is located in an isolated, overgrown area of the park, which raises significant security concerns for single women and senior citizens during off-hours.
• By contrast, siting a dog run closer to the mansion where there is more activity would enhance the security situation. Coindre Hall previously has been a secluded haven for drug and alcohol abuse. The County has stated repeatedly it does not have the resources to provide full-time security. Dog owners already fulfill an informal security function and would continue to do so if off-leash activities were allowed to continue where they currently take place.
• The proposed site is heavily wooded and would need to be cleared, leaving dirt (and mud whenever it rains) as the groundcover. That would make the site unusable and unacceptable.
• Suffolk Parks Commissioner Ron Foley viewed the site on May 7, 2005, and told LI-DOG members the site was not appropriate. Unless he has changed his mind, we agree!

    We have spoken to Leg. Jon Cooper who sponsored the initial legislation creating this particular dog run about our opposition to the location of the run. Members of the Long Island Dog Owners Group and neighborhood groups are working through Leg. Jon Cooper's Citizens Advisory Committee on Coindre Hall to come up with an alternative solution that meets the needs of our supporters and other users of the park. While we still have work to do, we are making good progress on alternative locations and arrangements for off-leash activities at Coindre Hall. Once we reach an agreement, Leg. Cooper has assured us he will do whatever is necessary to get County approval for our revised proposal.

    We are grateful to the Town of Huntington for agreeing to support off-leash activities at Coindre Hall by entering into these negotiations with the County. Admittedly, we are frustrated that this situation has dragged on for so long. But, it would be a mistake and a waste of money for the Town to build a run that has no support whatsoever when chances are excellent that an alternative can be devised that has widespread support. It is extremely important that you and the rest of the Huntington Town Board stop the process of building the run and allow us to gain County approval for an alternative off-leash solution supported by everyone.

    Thank you so much for your attention. Please feel free to call us if you would like to discuss this further. We would be happy to do so.

Sincerely,

The Long Island Dog Owners Group
Virginia Munger Kahn
Huntington, NY

Barbara Buscareno
Huntington, NY

    As always, keep in touch by e-mailing us at lidog_news@yahoo.com.