ARF ARF - News

July Bark Hall - Freeway Dog Park

8/21/2021

Thanks again to all who joined us for our first IN PERSON Bark Hall! It was great to see some old faces and make new acquaintances. As promised, we're placing the notes from the meeting here and will keep you posted with updates as soon as we have them. Please do remember, however, that we are all volunteers so we dedicate our time as we are able.
Items:

Walkthrough with the Parks Dept: We conducted a walkthrough with the Rockaway Parks Administrator and maintenance leads to make them aware of some problem areas within the park and discuss solutions. Here is the outcome of our conversation: 1. Signage - Parks will look into installing rules signs inside the smaller areas, and perhaps the middle of the park front fence. 2. Entrance/Exit gates- Parks will look into paving (preferred) or graveling the areas to keep the dogs from digging and the dipping that's occurring from constant traffic. 3. Waste stations - since there are no more in stock, ARF-ARF will look at ways to fund a couple more. 4. Fencing - old broken dune fencing in the front to be replaced with new fencing. For the longer term, ARF-ARF will look at ways to fund something longer lasting. 5. Picnic tables- the one in the large area will be moved around for now to keep the holes from getting too big. The area under the canopy in the agility area will get paved to keep dogs from digging underneath. Please encourage dog owners to put as much dirt back as possible when they notice their dogs digging holes. 6. Agility equipment - will be repaired in the agility area. ARF-ARF will look into funding for a couple of agility type items in the small dog area as well per request. 7. Weeds - weeds will be removed in the tree guards and mosquito trap cages and along the fencing. 8. Mosquito traps - need to be looked at and parts replenished (e.g tanks) 9. Water pooling in the back of the park - Parks will look into this. 10. Hose connection - Parks will provide access to us. We will ask Partnerships for Parks if they have hoses/sprinklers for weekend summer fun and fundraiser events.
Parking at Freeway Dog Park: DOT will be allowing parking along Freeway Dog Park only available during park hours. This has been in the works for several years, coordinated with the Rockaway Beach Civic Association. We are thankful for their partnership and continue to keep in touch to find out updates and timelines.
Events & Fundraisers: Due to changes in Parks budgets and policies, ARF-ARF must now pay for all permits and event insurance. This requires money that we must fundraise for. Since ARF-ARF is a registered non-profit organization, there are other ways outside of events that we can fundraise: 1. We are always looking for grants where applicable. 2. Donations can be made through this website (click on the "donate" button at the top). 3. Check with your employer to see if they have donation matching or volunteer grants and programs. 4. If you shop on Amazon, go to "smile.amazon.com" and select "Allied Rockaway Foundation for Animal Recreation and Fitness" as your nonprofit of choice. 5. Stay tuned on this website and on our Facebook page for virtual fundraisers.
Volunteers: We are looking for a few good volunteers to help ARF-ARF! Click on the "Donate" button at the top to sign up to be a volunteer. You will need to sign some waivers saying that you will abide by our policies. Some of the things we are looking for help with: 1. Park Maintenance Committee: This team will assist by reporting items that need to be fixed and help with cleanup days and overall keeping the park looking neat and clean. One hour of time per week. 2. Event Volunteers: Help out with planning events and on the day of with event items and fundraisers as needed. 3. Volunteer Opportunities for Students: If you have any students in your life who are looking for community service hours, opportunities are available. Parents/Guardians will need to sign volunteer agreements and are responsible for supervision.

If you have any questions, please contact us by selecting "More", then "Contact Us" at the top of this page. Looking forward to having more pet friendly fun in the future!

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