Holmdel Dog Park Reopens For Spring, Now With Its Own Entrance

HOLMDEL, NJ — Beautiful spring weather lately has come at the perfect time for the reopening of the Alexander Ching Memorial Dog Park.

After a winter closure for maintenance, the park at Bayonet Farm reopened last month and now has a second dedicated entrance for visitors to the dog park.

For Lisa Ching and her family, whose idea it was to create the park in memory of her son Alex, the pleasure she gets from the park has continued to grow since its opening in May of 2021.

The dogs can run free in a fenced area covered with a thick layer of decomposed granite, chosen for its safety and durability - and comfort for the dogs' paws, as well as large areas of natural grass.

Pets socialize, as do their owners. And the overall effect of the park has been to bring the larger community together, Ching said.

She's started collecting messages she's received from people who use the park.

"I have pages of notes of appreciation," she said.

Even people who don't have a dog come to the park to see the frisky pets in action.

Ching said nurses from the nearby Sloan Kettering facility sometimes take a break from work just to sit and watch the dogs run and play with each other.

As in most towns, dogs are required to be leashed in public in Holmdel. So the dog park is their chance to run free. You can read the township ordinance regulating the park here.

"The dogs are so happy," Ching said.

The second entrance that leads directly to the dog park is east of the main entrance to Bayonet Farm at 41 Middletown Road, she said. People can come in any entrance, but the dedicated one provides easier access if there are events taking place at facilities at Bayonet, such as weddings.

And once your dog unleashes some energy playing in the dog run, you can bring out the leash again and take long walks along trails and fields at Bayonet and the adjacent routes to Bell Works, for example, Ching said.

Dog and owner get a great workout in a beautiful, natural setting.

The park is dedicated to Ching's son Alexander Ching, who died in 2018 at age 24 from cancer. In late 2019 his family approached the township with a request to pay tribute to Alex's memory by construction of the park.

Alex himself was active in the township, becoming an EMT with the Holmdel First Aid Squad, graduating Holmdel High School in 2012 and being accepted by his top college choice, according to previous stories about Alex and the park project.

And Ching said she was heartened by how open the township was to the idea of the dog park - and how the family's relationship with the town has developed.

With fundraising, donations, volunteer efforts and lots of research, the park became a reality, Ching said. The dog park building contractor, Twin Resources of Wall, played "a huge role in the success of the design and construction of the park, and they have been most generous with donating labor and supplies," Ching added.

The park opened on May 31, 2021, with an official "leash cutting," according to the township. It is open "to all dog lovers in and outside the borders of Holmdel," the township notes on its website.

The park and the township have a good working relationship, Ching said. The Alexander Ching Memorial Fund nonprofit organization focuses on maintenance, for example. Meanwhile, the township helped fine-tune the new entrance, including with laying an asphalt apron, Ching said.

The park has become an established part of the community. And now that the major work of planning and building the park is done, Ching said the park can almost sustain itself.

Dog owners clean up after their dog. The organization has limited maintenance needs now, such as sealcoating certain wood fittings and maintaining the granite gravel and the fence.

There are community events that help raise funds, such as the now-annual Halloween costume parade. The park has developed a close relationship with an area band that donates its time for a summer concert, Ching said. If any larger needs come up, Ching said the group will fundraise specifically for that.

The park's Facebook page is called "Alex's Paw Park."

And this paw park "is a dream come true for the entire community," Lisa Ching said.

Everyone, she said, "did a good thing."

If you are interested in donating or volunteering some time, visit the foundation’s Facebook page - Alex’s Paw Park, email AlexanderChingMemorialDogPark@gmail.com or contact Holmdel Township’s Recreation Department rward@holmdeltownship.com.