Essex County Completes Dog Park At Hilltop Reservation

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A new, off-leash canine facility in Essex County is open just in time for the dog days of summer.

On Friday, officials gathered to announce the opening of a new off-leash dog park at Essex County Hilltop Reservation. The nature preserve is located on the Second Watchung Mountain in the host communities of Cedar Grove, North Caldwell and Verona.

The Hilltop dog park is the fourth such park in the Essex County system, officials said. The Watsessing Dog Park in Bloomfield/East Orange opened in 2005. The South Mountain Dog Park in Maplewood/Millburn opened in 2006. The Brookdale Dog Park in Bloomfield/Montclair opened in 2007.

County officials released details of the park last week:

“The Hilltop Dog Park is slightly less than 35,000 square feet in size and is divided so there are separate areas for small and large dogs. The small dog area is about one-quarter of an acre; the large dog area is about one-half an acre. The entrance has a decorative gate, brick paved pathway, information kiosk and new landscaping. Inside the park are apparatus on which canines can play, benches for their pet parents to sit, water fountains for owners and their dogs, and garbage cans and receptacles for dog bags. The entire area is fenced to prevent dogs from running away. Additional landscaping has been planted, trees were pruned and dead trees removed. Access to the Hilltop Dog Park is via the North Caldwell municipal parking lot on Courter Lane off of Mountain Avenue.”

According to county officials, Remington and Vernick of Secaucus was awarded a $34,200 professional services contract to design the dog park. Zenith Construction from East Orange was awarded a publicly-bid contract for $724,320 to perform the construction. The Essex County Department of Public Works monitored the project. Funding was provided through the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.

Construction started in early April and was completed in less than three months, officials said.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said that the idea for the dog park began in the autumn of 2017, when county officials met with their counterparts in North Caldwell to hear a request for an off-leash dog facility in West Essex.

"We had been talking about developing a dog park in West Essex for five and a half years, and I'm glad were able to identify this site and get it built so quickly," Essex County Freeholder Len Luciano said.

North Caldwell Mayor Joseph Alessi said that the county was “very receptive to placing the dog park at the Hilltop location.”

“We are happy that residents are now able to take advantage of this dog park,” Verona Mayor Kevin Ryan said.

"This is an ideal location for a dog park because it is within walking distance of four municipalities," North Caldwell Council President Cynthia Santomauro previously said.

• See related article: Dog Park In Progress At Essex County Hilltop Reservation

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Photo: Essex County