An Elmwood Park resident who’s clashed with local officials in the past is advocating on behalf of dog lovers in the village.
During public comment at the Feb. 2 Elmwood Park Village Board meeting, Pasquale Martorana talked about the need for a dog park in the village and said he’s been actively seeking support for one for several weeks.
Dog parks are usually fenced-off pieces of land where dog owners can let their pets run freely.
“I have pages and pages of petitions in support for this,” he said.
Elmwood Park Village President Angelo “Skip” Saviano said at the meeting that he’s been in contact with Cook County Commissioner Peter Silvestri about the idea of a dog park, but using county forest preserve district land instead.
Silvestri, the former Elmwood Park village president, is also a member of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County’s Board of Commissioners.
Martorana believes a portion of Central Park, particularly on the northwest corner of the park in the area of 75th Court and Marwood Avenue would be a good location for the dog park.
Saviano said forest preserve district land would be better because the village has limited park space.
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“There are residents who may not be dog fans,” he said. “We could utilize some land that normally goes unused.”
Martorana believes a dog park at Central Park could be a positive for a village because of its location next to the Metra train station and the possibility that people may soon be able to bring their pets on the train with them. Metra is considering letting riders bring their pets on board on weekends for a three-month trial period along its Rock Island route beginning in the spring.
He also believes the dog park location could attract economic development in that area, especially at the old Connie’s Beef location at 75th Avenue and Grand Avenue just east of village’s Metra train station. Martorana believes the building could be an excellent location for a coffee shop chain like Starbucks or Caribou Coffee.
He envisions people taking their dog to the park and then walking north along 75th Avenue toward Grand Avenue and stopping for a cup of coffee or vice versa.
“The importance of the whole thing is economic growth,” he said. “The dog park would bring economic development to our community. Couldn’t that empty corner Connie’s Beef be torn down and a Starbucks built there?”
Saviano believes parking would be an issue if a dog park was set up in the village. In other communities that have a dog park, Saviano says people drive from other communities to the location, causing traffic congestion. He said an area like Evans Field on the 1900 block of Thatcher Avenue would be a better location for a dog park.
“We could do an intergovernmental agreement where we (the village) could build it and maintain it,” he said.
Martorana is no stranger to voicing his opinion during the public comment segment at village board meetings. He’s a former village employee who was recently awarded over $300,000 in a civil suit against Elmwood Park.
Saviano said he was not a part of the civil suit and Martorana has the right to speak during board meetings. But Saviano says he won’t let Martorana provoke him.
“I don’t know what he wants from me,” he said. “I’m not the enemy. His issue is with Peter Silvestri.”
That being said, Martorana’s dog park would need the Village Board’s approval to become reality.
Saviano said the village was looking into a dog park before Martorana brought his idea of one to the board’s attention. He thinks Martorana has an ulterior motive — a future run for office.
“We’ve been working on it before he made it a campaign issue,” he said.
When asked if he plans on running for a spot on the Village Board, Martorana said he’s “looking at his options.”
Saviano says Martorana needs to move on with his life, describing Martorana as a “carpetbagger” for moving from River Grove to Elmwood Park. Martorana should have stayed in River Grove and run for a position there, Saviano said.
Still, Martorana wants to make a dog park in Elmwood Park a reality.
“It was slow in the beginning, but it’s building up momentum,” he said. “People love dogs. It’s a good thing and they (the village board) have to embrace this.”