Dog Run at Doughboy Park in Woodside (Photo: July 31, 2018 QueensPost)
Aug. 6, 2018 By Christian Murray
The dilapidated dog run at Doughboy Park is expected to be fully revamped by the end of this month–but dog owners will have to wait months before they can use it.
The School Construction Authority, which was put in charge of overhauling the beaten-up run, is close to finishing it.
However, the Parks Dept., which was tasked with installing stairs to make the dog run accessible, has not started construction. The stairs are needed since the run is located at the top of a muddy, rocky and unevenly-sloped hill.
The Parks Dept isn’t expected to start building the stairs until this fall, and residents will not be able to use the run until the stairs are complete.
“We expect to begin construction on the stairs in the fall,” said a spokesperson for the Parks Department, who said the project is currently in the procurement stage. “While SCA is slated to finish the dog run this month, there is only one point of access, as such, the public will not have access until the stairs are completed.”
The beaten-up dog run was expected to be overhauled several years ago. Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer allocated $250,000 toward the project in 2013.
Doughboy Park/Plaza and P.S. 11 (Google)
However, the project was delayed since the dog run area was used by the SCA as a staging area for the construction of a new school building and playground at P.S. 11, which is on an adjacent site.
The school building—adding 350 seats— opened last September, while the playground is expected to be completed this month along with the dog run.
The SCA was tasked with revamping the dog run since it used the site during school construction.
Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer urged the Parks Dept. to make building the stairs a priority.
“The people and dog owners of Woodside have waited long enough for this dog run,” Van Bramer said. “Parks needs to complete this work as quickly as possible for local residents to use and enjoy,” Van Bramer said.
Van Bramer said that the hill leading up to the dog run has been in terrible condition for years and needs to be revamped. “The fencing has been an eyesore for too long.”
Access to Dog Run at Doughboy Park on Woodside Avenue (Photo: Aug. 6, 2018 QueensPost)
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31 Comments
Nice Matt. Thanks for your well thought out post. I would love to have you on our team. We have a petition on line to help fix and clean up the Dog run at Murray Park.
Only one point of access and they are installing stairs? File the ADA lawsuit now and cash in.
Wow. Who project managed this hot mess? No one should let the SCA near a construction project.
WASTE OF MONEY
Dog runs put me in a knee-jerk rage. Why should public money be spent on that? Please convince me.
Lots of down-votes for my comment.
Yet nobody wants to say why I shouldn’t oppose this.
Because dogs are fun.
Meh, lots of fun things don’t get their own park space.
You can read my comments to our resident loon, El Loco.
It is a way for people with dogs, which is a big part of the city population, to enjoy the parks without bothering other people, that’s why. Lots of people have dogs and want to let them play with other dogs. Lots of other people are afraid of dogs and don’t want to be anywhere near them. This allows both groups of people to enjoy the park.
Stop wasting money on these stupid dog runs. Again, Rick Duro and these fanatical dog maniacs are killing us. Money for homeless people. Money for schools. Money for bike lanes. No money for stupid dog runs. Dogs are useless!
I don’t agree that dogs are useless. They should be used as food! I agree with El loco. Stop wasting money so dogs can socialize. Are we going to have dog dating services soon? Dog Twitter, dog Facebook, etc., etc.
El Loco…..You are quite infatuated with me! my bday is in April, where was the card? Dog runs are great for both the dog owning and non dog owning public. They are as much about the people that use them as they are about the canines themselves. A better exercised and socialized dog is a better one for society. A win-win for all. The absolute success of the SUDS run proves it. No one uses city parks more than dog owners, regardless of weather, we are there, the eyes and ears of the neighborhood. What happened El Loco, were you not allowed to own a dog as a kid? I’ll pick you up and take you to ACC and we will get you one. Then, and only then, with the angry ol’ guy you have turned into begin to fade away, much to the applause of sunnyside post readers everywhere. I have a funny feeling El Loco is your 2nd name, I bet you were ‘oppressed masses’ back in the day too.
Hey Rick:
I have no idea what you were saying in that article. Why don’t you just put down your little poodle for 5 minutes and go after that dog murderer.
either el loco or Jennifer are probably the dog murderer. maybe, they’re a dog killing duo.
Looks great. Hooray for dogs.
It just goes to show you how Van Patten spends tax payer dollars with no experience in construction nor does she even know how to read architect plans. Surely there had to be plans drawn up that she didn’t even sign off on.
This site is clearly too small and can anyone tell me where $250,000 was spent? I have a construction background and this at best looks like a $15,000 project at best.
I’ve been saying for years that Jimmy is exactly like his buddy Debozzo. This is just another example of his incompetence. Hope you all are glad you voted for him again last year.
I hope there will be a couple of artificial fire hydrants..
Its kind of sick that we waste all of this money on this shit for dogs , while the southwest side of sunnyside can’t even get planters on their corners . whats the deal Van bremer
The “southwest side?” That’s awfully specific. Where are these planters you refer to? I’m pretty sure that the majority of the corners in Sunnyside are NOT adorned with planters, not just the corners in the southwest.
thats the point , there is no attention paid to the southwest corent of sunnyside while we are taking care of dogs with multiple runs. this needs to stop . take care of the southside
I agree with the previous comments. This space is very small and the lack of a water source insure that it will be too dirty to use in no time. $250,000? Really?
Hello Mr. Van Bramer and Council Members,
This comment is regarding the Doughboy Park dog run that is currently under development.
As a dog owner on 52st with a larger dog I will not use this run and continue to utilize the large grassy “field” to give my dog the space she needs to exercise or walk all the way down to 43rd street to use the dog park looked after by Rick Duro. I am confident that if the dough boy dog run project continues on it’s current course it will suffer the same unfortunate fate as the dog run this new project is meant to replace. It will prove to be a wasted opportunity and a significant waste of taxpayer money.
As it currently stands, at this phase of construction, it is clear to me that just about everything in regards to its design is fool hardy and wasteful.
Concerns:
1) The dog run is too small to be functional. It will be underutilized. If not, become unused in little or no time.
2) There is quite a lot of land surrounding the dog run that is left under developed. Perhaps, the plan is to add foliage to this area? But, ultimately this will be wasteful and people will simply continue let their dogs off leash outside the gated space.
3) I don’t see any water hook-ups presently in development. Whether or not they are in the plans I do not know. However, without a water hook-up this run will become covered in feces and be unusable due to sanitary issues dangerous to both canines and humans alike. Regardless of the size of the dog run. This is a problem that plagues the previous dog run design.
4) There is no need for any fancy looking concrete structures or otherwise. Similar to those that I see in many dog runs around the city. For example, the pyramidic structure in the long island city water front dog run. These structures only serve to reduce the functional/usable space for the animals. As well as reduce the sight lines an owner has with their pet. Additionally these hill type structures can create fights amongst the dogs should two a-type dogs want to claim the peak of the structure. These structures also lead to animal waste that gets left behind due to the reduced sight lines. Again, like the LIC waterfront dog run.
Recommendations:
1) Increase the square footage of the dog run to the maximum possible under building code. Get code variances if necessary. The animals receive no benefit from space outside the fence.
2) Remove or significantly reduce any structures that are purely aesthetic in nature from the plans. Especially if there is no function that pertains to the animals. The dog run does not need to be pretty and make me feel good. Function needs to be the priority. A place for the human to sit and maximum space to run for the canine.
3) Water hook up and hose for cleaning the dog run. Without this feature, regardless of dog run size, people will discontinue using the dog run. Cleanliness is extremely important for the health of all those who enter the dog run.
4) Dog friendly running surface. Damage to canine paws is easy to inflict and difficult and expensive to treat.
Overall Security Concerns:
Under the old design. Which is similar in scope to this design. There were a significant issue with homeless individuals sleep and defecating behind and around the old dog run. Furthermore individuals would store their belongings in garbage bags, 24/7, hidden behind the run. I’m confident that this same issue will persist given the free space that exists surrounding the dog park. While the construction has not been enjoyable. It has offered relief from the homeless population that previously plagued the park.
It is not too late to make the necessary adjustments to this project so that it meets the needs of the Sunnyside/woodside dog community using dough boy park.
Please do not allow this project to move any further unchecked by those who understand what is needed. Please do not allow for any more of our tax payer money to be poorly spent.
Respectfully.
$250,000 for the stone and fencing? How many dogs can fit in it?
Character limit please. No one wants to read this book
then dont read it.
Poor excuse for a dog run- too small & no water access. It’s not much different from what was there before. Was this the best you could do Van Bramer? This project is a failure before it even opens.
Here we combine three of the most inept parts of city government: JVB for the city council, then the Parks Department, and finally the SCA. How could it not go wrong?
not being built by the parks department. being built by the school construction authority.
“…Parks Dept. which was tasked with installing the stairs”
gotcha.
i’m not concerned about the stairs at all. only the dog run.
it’s silly to not dig down/excavate the ground to a level that only requires a basic ramp from the walk way to get to the entrance of the dog run. excavating will increase the size of the plateau upon which to build the dog run allowing for the obvious to be implemented.