Rallying for a dog park at Hempstead Lake State Park

Sen. Todd Kaminsky and Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray are behind an effort to get a dog park created at Hempstead Lake State Park.

The officials, who wrote a joint letter to Wayne Horsley, Long Island Regional Director of New York State Parks and Recreation, also offered assistance to move the project forward.

“Pets are extensions, if not outright members of many of the families who reside in the greater Rockville Centre area,” the officials wrote in the letter. “In light of the park’s central location and the availability of open space there, we believe that this particular spot is suitable for just such an establishment.”

There is no designated recreational space for local pet owners and their dogs at the 737-acre state park, which has boat launches, bridle paths, picnic tables, playgrounds and playing fields. Kaminsky and Murray are hoping that with the addition of a dog park, even more people would be drawn to utilize the grounds.