Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Scheduled For New Holmdel Dog Park

HOLMDEL, NJ - A new dog park built in memory of a late Holmdel resident is set to be unveiled next week, officials said.

The Alexander Ching Memorial Dog Park at Bayonet Farm (41 Middletown Rd.) will open to the public with a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 31 at 9 a.m., Mayor Greg Buontempo wrote in a statement. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

The park memorializes Alex Ching, a 24-year-old Holmdel resident who tragically passed away due to cancer two years ago.

Ching's family approached municipal officials in November 2019 to honor the young man, with Ching’s family and friends funding the project through private donations, fundraisers and volunteers. The initiative was approved by the Holmdel Township Committee during a September 2020 meeting.

Work on the park project began in December and was completed by Wall Township-based Twin Resources, who donated time and supplies to the construction effort.

"The Ching family is incredibly grateful for all of the support we have received from family, friends, and members of our community as we begin groundbreaking for the Alexander Ching Memorial Dog Park this December," Alex's mother Lisa Ching told Patch last year. "We couldn't ask for a more beautiful and ideal location!"

Ching passed away on Dec. 25, 2018 after a 17-year battle with cancer, according to an obituary on TAPinto Holmdel. He was born on May 19, 1994 in Red Bank and was first diagnosed with cancer at 7 years old.

Ching dabbled in photography, drawing and rapping as well as sports, including basketball, hockey, tennis and flag football - all while undergoing cancer treatment. In high school, the young resident became an EMT with the Holmdel First Aid Squad, served as the Student Advisory Board President for the Holmdel High School Class of 2012 and was accepted into his dream school, Duke University.

"There were very few people who knew that Alex went to bat with this disease through the rest of his life," the obituary reads. " That was because he never let it define him."

According to township committee documents, an ordinance was passed earlier this year to establish rules at the off-leash area at the park. These rules include:

1. The facility can only be accessed and used by persons that own or control a dog that is actively using the off-leash dog area at that time.
2. All users of the facility must abide by any directions issued by Holmdel Township personnel.
3. Children under eight are not permitted within the facility. Children between eight and fourteen years of age must be closely supervised by an adult.
4. The following dogs are prohibited from accessing the facility:
1. Dogs with a history of dangerous or aggressive behavior.
2. Puppies under four months old.
3. Dogs over six months old that are not spayed or neutered.
4. Dogs without current vaccinations.
5. Dogs without proper municipal licenses.
6. Any unattended dogs.
5. Dogs must wear collars displaying proper municipal licenses at all times. Proned, pinch, choke, spike, and electric training collars are prohibited.
6. Dogs must be leashed while entering and exiting the facility.
7. Dog waste must immediately be cleaned up by the dog's owner.
8. Dog food and human food are prohibited from the facility.
9. Dogs weighing 30 pounds or less must use the designated small dog area. Dogs weighing over 30 pounds must use the designated large dog area.
10. The facility may not be used for any private use or gain, including but not limited to private instructional training or activities, without the express approval of the township.

Read the full ordinance here.

"Once completed this park will provide space for our pets and their owners to recreate and meet other dog-friendly neighbors," Buontempo said in 2020. "My hope is that this wonderful project will not only honor Alex's memory but also provide a way for our local community to grow even stronger in the years to come."

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