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Construction to finally begin on dilapidated Woodside dog run

Jan. 9, 2017 By Hannah Wulkan

Work is scheduled to begin this month on the long-awaited revamp to the dog run in Doughboy Park, according to the Parks Department.

Construction on the dog run in Doughboy Plaza, located on Woodside Avenue between 54th and 56th streets, is expected to be completed sometime this spring.

It will include improving access to the site and installing new steps, drainage, fencing and plantings, according to Meghan Lalor, a spokeswoman for the Parks Department.

Though Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer allocated $250,000 in funding to fix up the dilapidated dog run in 2013, the project was delayed for several years while the park was used as a staging area for construction on the neighboring school, P.S. 11.

“I’m thrilled construction is beginning on the dog run at Doughboy Park, and I’m proud to have allocated all of the funding for this community project,” Van Bramer said. “I look forward to working with the Parks Department to create this improvement for our community and our four-legged friends.”

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44 Comments

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Anonymous

I am glad they are rebuilding the run. The question is whether anyone will use it. One summer night last year I counted 18 dogs running off lease. They were mainly on the hill in front of Parc Plaza. The turf in that area is worn out from dogs running on it. There seems little interest from the Parks Dept. to enforce the park rules.

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A Community 4 All

This pack of 18 dogs, was it terrorizing the neighborhood or were they playing? Also they seem to weigh too little to create the so called grass damage, sledding on the slushy snow does worse, but guess what spring will roll around and poof, new lush grass.
The only damage a dog did was dig a hole where you can twist your ankle, but that is starting to fill up again.
The skate boarders removing the barriers that prevents soil erosion causes more damage, but I only have a problem when they put it in the middle of the basketball court.
Parks are for the community to enjoy, not just for a single troll.
PS over the last two years I called 911 and the 108 Pct to report agressive trespassers, guess what they didn’t show up. Second time, to report a hit and run of a parked car. The guy drops his phone when he checks the damage. He peels out , I pick up new iPhone, call 108 Pct, guess what, they try to tell me , nothing to report because it was not my car and to return the phone or I can be looking at a robbery charge, lol . So I highly doubt dogs off leashes will ever be a priority.
Also I’ve found dogs straining against a leash to be more problematic.
Have a Good One 🙂

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Matt

It will be used.

I personally don’t use it much because it’s poorly maintained and far too small.

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Not a dog owner, happy for the dog owners

The park is a nice size. It’s good that they are fixing up the dog run because it’s not much to look at right now. Dog owners probably feel like ugly step children banished to the back of the park. Kids, and teens, and adults, will still be able to sled down the hills for the one or two weeks year. People with dogs who want the dogs to run on the hilly area will still meet at night. As a parent I can say we don’t need another park. There’s a good one right around the corner. This strikes me as just a nice, needed, amenity to the area.

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johnny

The fines for Dog Littering should be raised Ten fold, its a disgrace the people refuse to pick up after there dogs, I can only imagine what these ” holier than thou” self-rightous elitists would do then.

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Hi end

Fan of doughboy park- whats your expertise on this? I mean you are the fan of this park, what is your opinion on the work being done. Is it good, bad? Can something more resourceful be done? Come on its your stage

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dog hater

Here we go again. Rick Duro and his dog people. What a waste of money. How about playgrounds for kids instead of playgrounds for dogs. There will probably be little dogs with boots and sweaters. Happy new year dog people!

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dog disliker

Rick Duro’s sinister hands are all over this. I know it. I bet the woman who was hugging the dying squirrel was also involved! Please stop!

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Lassie come home to Woodside!

There are plenty of playgrounds available in Sunnyside for your kiddies. A well exercised and socialized dog is a better dog for everyone. One less likely to be barking when home alone, or being aggressive with other animals on walks. It’s a crappy little hilly area that has been used for a long time by dog owners anyway. Instead of whining online, get out in your community and do something. Now go get your bottle and have mom read you a bed time story. Maybe the one about a kid that got a puppy for xmas! let me guess, mommy and daddy never allowed you to have any pets?

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rikki

i get a thrill watching dog lovers walk their dawgs the last few days in the cold and snow at 6am……and im warm inside with our cats…

sorry dawgs should not live in apartments unless you have a yard or porch for them to play in.

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Dog lover

Snowboarding for kids a total of 1 month a year or 12 month dog run.
GO DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Pat

Kids are not losing any sledding hill … They always go down from 54th St across from Park Plaza ..

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Anonymous

Many thanks are due to Carol Ann Milazzo and Eric Gioia who worked tirelessly on establishing this run when nothing about Woodside or Sunnyside was hip, it was just a nice quiet place to grow up a live and have a dog! It is good to see new people building on the good previous generations contributed rather than obliterating it.

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Oldschool Sunnysider

Eric MUST have worked “tirelessly” on this as he did next to NOTHING for the people and concentrated on his cronies.

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Sammii

Will the plantings include ones to keep the insane amount of mosquitos off of us and our dogs?

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South.

Unfortunately most “mosquito-repellant” plants just repel mosquitos from the plants themselves, rather than eradicating them from an area. Personal application of repellant is the most effective.

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Matt

I hope they increase the size of the run and add many of the features that I enjoy at the 43rd street dog run.

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NewYorker

How about a space for humans? I know many people own dogs, but green space for HUMANS is woefully inadequate in sunnyside. It’s like farking dogs are more important than human sanity. Instead, we have to sit on a frying park bench on concrete between to asphalt roads – Joe Sabba park or John Downing park or John Vincent Danials square, which shows up as green in google maps but is mostly concrete inhabited by pigeons and homeless people. There is no pleasant space for humans, yet dogs get preferential treatment.

And I agree about the A holes at the 43rd street “park.” That includes parents that act like the Gestapo not letting anyone in to the playground to get wet with the fountains after a long run. Parents do not own the park. I paid taxes to refurbish it and I pay for the water, regardless if I have kids or not, and have every right to enjoy the pleasures it gives.

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Matt

Bring it up at next year’s participatory budgeting.

» council.nyc.gov/d26/html/members/pb26.shtml

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what have you done lately for Sunnyside? NADA

You do realize what ‘Nazi’ signifies,no? Clueless….. What exactly have you done to improve your community, well, besides trolling on sunnyside post?

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RD

I couldn’t disagree more. The park is filled with GREAT people. Always looking out for one another and their pets. Free training sessions, raised $ for K9 cops, collected food/toys/supplies for local rewscue groups, and there is a lot more What happened? Was your dog constantly barking? Remember, we have neighbors across the street that were there well before there was a dog run. Are you an active participant in your dog’s experience in the run, so you know if it goes to the bathroom, isn’t about to scrap it out with another dog, isn’t trying to escape? Do you clean up after your dog’s mess, to ensure it’s a clean space? Is your dog constantly humping other dogs? leads to fights. There are simple rules in every dog park that when followed make it a safe, clean place to be. If that’s a douchebag, then fine. It sounds more like a ‘you’ problem though

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Jim

Nazi dog park? Are you a moron or just trying to be cool using the word Nazi? Did they have a concentration camp in the park? Were they performing medical experiments on little kids? Were they using slave labor, gassing people? Shooting them? Well that’s what the Nazis did. I guess you were just trying to make a point. Maybe you should read a book about the Nazis instead of watching Orange is the New black in your underwear all day. Or they even have documentaries on the History Channel if that’s more your speed. This will never be printed.

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Vladimir Putin hates dogs

The dog run should be paid for by fines given to people who don’t pick up after their dogs. There are plenty of them out there, go get ’em.

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smokey the bear

I think you’d accrue more funding if we fine all the slobs that throw their trash on the ground, it’d be a YUUUUGE amount.

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Barbara

And also the fines to the people that have there dogs off leash in public. There is a guy with a dog never on a leash all over the neighborhood and he should be fined for putting the dog in jeopardy and other dogs and neighbors as well. It’s cruelty to the animal.

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Anonymous

It looks like the only sledding hill in the area. Where will local kids go to enjoy some snow?

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Oldschool Sunnysider

Sledding all the way down to the iron fences!!!
Its a wonder that someone did not sue for a “disability pension” for getting hurt!!!

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