Dogs may be allowed on boardwalk until mid-May
Council will vote on extending ordinance next month
Some of Asbury Park’s four-legged residents could enjoy more boardwalk time this year.
The city council advised city attorney Fred Raffetto at Wednesday night’s council meeting to draft an ordinance extending the time of year dogs are allowed on the boardwalk.
Currently, a city ordinance allows dogs on the boardwalk — as long as they are leashed and with an owner or handler — from Oct. 1 through April 30 each year. That ordinance was written with a sunset provision, meaning it expires April 30 of this year.
The “pilot ordinance” could be re-upped for another one or two years, Raffetto said, or the city could take out the sunset provision entirely and make the rules permanent.
“We haven’t had major problems,” Councilwoman Sue Henderson said of the pilot ordinance. “No major dog fits. I would like to see about going a little longer than April 30.”
She suggested dogs be allowed until the second week of May, while Councilman James Bruno suggested Memorial Day as a cutoff point.
Raffetto suggested the council use the dates Sept. 15 through May 15. The attorney will draft an ordinance for the next meeting, he said. The next council meeting is scheduled for May 2 at 7 p.m., preceded by a workshop session at 6 p.m.
Dogs are also allowed year round at North End beach, from the northernmost border of Asbury Park to the Eighth Avenue jetty. Dog owners or handlers may take their dogs to that beach without leashes from 6 p.m. through 8:30 a.m. every day, at any point during the year, Raffetto said.
