The likely location for the dog run at Lou Lodati (QueensPost)
June 10, 2019 By Christian Murray
A dog run is likely to be installed at L/CPL Thomas P. Noonan Playground and a meeting is being held Tuesday to provide the public with an opportunity to offer input.
The meeting has been scheduled for 5 p.m., Tuesday at the Sunnyside Library and is being organized by the Parks Department and Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer’s office. The discussion will not strictly be about a dog run, although that will be a major component of the meeting.
The concept that a dog run is likely to come to Noonan Playground is a surprise to many. It comes about 10 months after Van Bramer announced that he had secured $2.5 million of city funds to revamp the Greenpoint Avenue/42nd Street section of the park.
Van Bramer said Monday that he wants a dog run to open in the park.
“I have made it clear to the Parks Dept. that I’d like to see a dog run included in the renovations. A dog run is much needed for our Sunnyside community and our four-legged friends. I look forward to hearing more about community members’ visions for the park and what else they’d like to see in the final plans,” Van Bramer said.
Rick Duro, president of the Sunnyside United Dog Society, said he is pleased to see that a meeting is being held but was surprised that no one at SUDS was officially contacted. He said that he only heard about it through a community board member midway through last week and didn’t even know a dog run was planned for Noonan at all.
“I’m going to be at the meeting to make sure there isn’t another debacle like at Doughboy Park,” Duro said, referring to the Woodside run that has been criticized by local dog owners for allegedly being too small. That run has yet to open.
Dog Run at Doughboy Park (Photo: July 31, 2018 QueensPost)
Duro said that he has been trying to get the word out via the SUDS Facebook group about Tuesday’s meeting.
He said that SUDS needs to be part of the process, since it knows what the pitfalls are and what works. “The run needs to be done right, with the right surface, lighting, shade and water access.”
He said that for a dog run to be successful, it needs a group of people who will help clean it and guide people to use it properly.
The revamp and likely dog run will represent phase three of the overhaul of the park. In 2015, the playground was expanded and upgraded, and in 2016 the basketball courts and handball courts were resurfaced.
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20 Comments
I hope that the chess tables and seating in this area of the park that are consistently used by residents of the area, particularly seniors is incorporated elsewhere in the Park. It would be a shame for this population to lose this area of the park that they have come to enjoy.
Yes, it absolutely will be. Was discussed at length at the meeting.
I wonder what percentage of the “very concerned citizens” who are upset about this actually use that section of Noonan Park regularly, or could even identify it on a map.
What eventually happens to dog waste after the owner puts it in a plastic bag and tosses it in a street wastebasket? It goes to a landfill. It is not biodegradable. How many tons of dog waste are produced each day in N.Y.C. by our four legged friends? Anybody care to guess? Mr. van Bremer never seems to look at the big picture.
What about the mountains of human garbage that are both non recyclable and dangerous to the environment? That’s Everest in comparison.
Sounds like your problem is with plastic bags, not dog waste. So why not focus your energies on that instead? Lots of people are already using biodegradable bags, and the state is already looking at banning plastic bags in stores. Plenty of ways you could work on this that will be more effective than expecting everyone to just give up their pets.
There are three basic options for disposing of your pup’s poop. You can throw it away, compost or bury it, or flush it. Here is all you need to know to make an informed decision on how to dispose of pet waste in the most ecologically sound way possible.Feb 10, 2015
One Green Planet › environment › eco-fr…
First off, there’s biodegradable dog waste bags. I use them all the time and they’re sold everywhere. Besides, what does a dog run have to do with dog waste? Doesn’t matter if there’s no dog run, people are still walking their dogs outside and throwing their dog poop in the garbage. Your concern is ridiculous.
What of your laundry detergent and other toxic crap that you use that goes into our waterways/landfills? The unrecyclable plastics you use? the cigarettes on the ground with 100s of nasty chemicals? You are worried about dog poop?! please……
Why should public money be spent on dog runs?
Because many tax paying citizens of the city own dogs. Run also make dogs better apt dwellers (tiring them out, less barking) and better with the public and other dogs due to the socialization skills they gain. You don’t have to like it. Just like I don’t have to like a bike lane, but understand its purpose.
Understanding the purpose is why I’m asking. Not entirely convinced, though. Parks for people? Sure. Bike lanes for people? I get it. Dog parks? Dunno.
They are also for people. Dogs aren’t there by themselves. Some people recreate by playing basketball, handball, volleyball, etc, so we create courts for them. People have kids, you get playgrounds. Others bike so there are bike lanes. There are also running/walking paths for those people. Dont forget skate parks, baseballfields too. Dog parks are there for the owners as much as the canines.
Carbie- It also reduces dog dirt on the streets in general. Tax money doesn’t always go where we want it, you win some you lose some. It’s not all about you.
Who said it’s all about me? I asked a question.
I’d like to see aggressive ticketing of irresponsible dog owners whose “dog dirt” decorates our sidewalks.
What percentage of tax paying citizens own dogs? Personally, I think too many dog owners do not really know what they’re doing and haven’t earned the privilege. Too many dog owners do not clean up after their dog and can’t even comprehend what “Curb Your Dog” even means. Too many dog owners have dogs that are totally untrained and unresponsive to even the most basic command. I would be happier to see my tax dollars funding a dog run that I will never use if I were surrounded by responsible and considerate dog owners. That would be a fair arrangement. What exists now is an irresponsible and inconsiderate minority that’s ruining it for the rest of the dog-owning population.
Because a lot of people own dogs.
Maybe garbage cans and bags for people to throw the dog poop. This is ridiculous, most people can’t clean after their dogs yet they want a dog run. Sure get a dog run but also commit to be a better owner, and clean after the dogs. The doggies deserve better owners.
Complete nonsense that there are not more garbage cans for people to use, true. Many of the nice big green ones have disappeared in the past few months. As for ‘most people’ not picking up, you couldn’t be more wrong. The overwhelming majority of people do, or we’d be surfing a tsunami of crap, based on the huge # of dogs in our area. The low lifes that don’t pick up are surprisingly small. Do the math. If just 10 people in an area (out of 100+ dog owners) aren’t picking up, that’s 2x a day, 7 days a week, add it up. Notice, the piles are almost always in the same places. Not only are dogs creatures of habit by going on the same few spots daily, but so are their owners who walk the same routes. you think the 90%+ of dog owners that do the right thing like the piles either?! Of course not. We’d all love to see them get huge tickets for being such disgusting, inconsiderate aholes.
Right. Correct, not most, but enough that it is noticeable. Enough that I can see every time I step out. So yes, my criticism of the owners (not the doggies) still stands. There are great owners out there, and that is hopefully the majority.