Aspinwall officials are making changes to their dog park regulations and access.
Dogs can roam free in the Aspinwall Recreation Area ball fields Nov. 1 through March 31.
The infields are fenced off to limit damage to the baseball playing area.
Residents and nonresidents will have to register their pets and pay a fee to use the park this season.
There was no fee for nonresidents in previous seasons. Also, additional fees for residents and nonresidents are being implemented this year.
Resident fees will go up from $10 to $15 for the season for their first pet and $10 for each additional dog.
Nonresident fees are $30 for the first pet and $15 for each additional dog.
Fees for additional dogs also are new this season.
Dog park users in previous years had just one registration fee that covered all of each resident’s dogs.
Councilwoman Marcia Cooper announced the changes during a meeting Wednesday, Oct. 11.
They were part of many recommendations made at a dog park meeting a few days earlier.
A key fob would be issued to those who registered their pets so they could access the park as part of a new security measure.
“The police cannot be down there monitoring the dogs,” Cooper said. “There will be signage.
“As a community, everybody felt pretty good about those (recommendations) would be helpful. It will alleviate some of the issues we had last year and make it a safer, more enjoyable park for everybody.”
Pet registration applications are available at the borough office.
Borough Manager Melissa O’Malley said council will have to formally vote on the fees and other changes next month.
Some things such as the keyfob system may not be ready by opening day.
Resident Steve Kochanowski volunteered to create an Aspinwall Dog Park Facebook and Google page.
He said he is an avid dog lover. His family has a 1.5-year-old Shih Tzu Poodle mix named Bella.
Kochanowski also serves as a defacto dog walker for several of his friends.
He lauded council for the proposed fob system and welcomed the other dog park recommendations.
“The fob system is going to be great because before we didn’t have that,” he said. “People could come over with five (and) six dogs. They are not registering their dogs. I’m a big fan of the changes.
“Residents don’t have to worry about those issues about having to talk to nonresidents (about their dogs). The dog community always polices itself. This will make it a lot easier. You’re not going to be able to take a dog in there if you don’t have a fob, hopefully, if people follow the rules.”
Another suggestion for the dog park was separating the lower ballpark from the upper ballpark so there is a space for residents to use the area and not have to interact with dogs.
It was unclear how the land would be separated.
Two more dog waste stations also will be installed at the park this season courtesy of Alcosan.
In other matters
Council unanimously voted Wednesday, Oct. 11, to approve a handicap parking space at 201 Fourth St.
It is part of a compromise between the borough and a resident a few doors down who has been asking for a space for weeks.
Borough officials recently went out to the road, which already has at least two handicap spaces, to evaluate ways to accommodate the request for another one.
O’Malley said they will revisit the road in the spring and possibly do more line painting to adjust parking spaces along the street.
The Aspinwall Police Department and Mayor Joe Noro will host a movie in the park event at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at Ben Killian Field.
The movie will be “The Goonies.”
Admission is free. There will be a Halloween costume contest. Drinks and popcorn will be provided.
Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@triblive.com or via Twitter .
