Program would allow dog walkers in Greenlawn park

The Huntington Town Board voted Tuesday to establish a pilot program to allow dog walkers in a Greenlawn park as part of a neighborhood watch aimed at reducing crime in the park.

The six-month pilot allows people to walk leashed dogs through Frazer Drive Park, which  had been prohibited.

The town established the pilot program after neighbors of the park launched a petition drive on the measure, citing safety concerns that could be addressed by the increased presence of dog walkers in the park. The board’s resolution noted “criminal incidents at Frazer Drive Park that warrant further monitoring of park use.”

Michele Martines, president of the Frazer Park Civic Association, said her group has helped lobby for additional security measures for the park, including removing brush that reduced visibility in some areas.

The civic group was formed after a 17-year-old girl was raped and robbed in a secluded area of Frazer Drive Park in 2008.

Martines said allowing dogwalkers in the park would discourage criminals and youths bent on trouble from settling in the park.

“It’ll be a deterrent to the kids, and a deterrent to crime,” Martines said. “That’s all we’ve been working for since we started this.”