Doughboy Dog Run Opens (QueensPost)
June 12, 2019 By Christian Murray
Residents now have access to the dog run at Doughboy Park.
The Parks Department has installed a temporary pathway that goes from the plaza up the rocky hill to the dog run. The temporary pathway will be replaced in the fall when permanent steps go in.
The run, which was constructed by the School Construction Authority, was completed many months ago but residents didn’t have access to it since the Parks Dept. had yet to put in a pathway for access.
The dog run has been subject to fierce criticism over the past year, with the biggest complaints dealing with its diminutive size and the lack of water access.
“This is built for hamsters,” Rick Duro, leader of the Sunnyside United Dog Society, said last year. Only a handful of dogs would be able to use it at any given time, he said.
Rob Henderson, a local dog owner, was at the run on Tuesday with his pooch Ashley.
“Just looking at it, it doesn’t look bad- but there are a lot of things that are missing,” he said. He said that there is no water hookup—needed to clean the run—and there aren’t any double gates to protect dogs from bolting out. Other issues dealt with items such as a lack of garbage containers.
But most of the criticism has dealt with size. The run is built on the footprint of an old run that was at that very location that was hardly used as a result of its size. Critics argue that there was a lot of unused space next to the run that should have been incorporated as part of the design.
“This area should have been part of the run,” Henderson said, pointing to space alongside it. “I don’t understand it. No one uses that space. Why wasn’t it used?”
Photo: QueensPost
Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer said that he is looking to get additional funding in order for the run to be enlarged but insisted that it should be open in the meantime.
“We need it to be open,” Van Bramer said. “We all want it to be bigger and we will work toward that but for now let’s open it.”
Van Bramer is insisting that the Parks Dept. come out as soon as possible and rectify some of the other deficiencies. For instance, the double gates need to be installed.
“If there is an element where it is unsafe for dogs it needs to be fixed now,” Van Bramer said.
The Parks Dept. plans to provide the run with water access at the same time that it builds the steps. The work will be incorporated as part of a one-year project that includes a $1.5 million upgrade to Doughboy Plaza.
The Parks Dept. said that the run will be closed during the year-long construction period, since the run will be inaccessible.
The planned one-year closure of the dog run is just a continuation of the stop-start nature of the project since its inception.
Funds were allocated for the overhaul of the run in 2013 but construction was delayed since the site was used by the SCA as a staging area to build a new school building and playground at P.S. 11, located next to the park.
The SCA cut a deal with the Parks Dept. to build the dog run since it was using the space. Parks was tasked with building a staircase up the hill to get to it.
The SCA’s plans for the dog run were never presented to the community board, elected officials or local stakeholders.
Van Bramer said that he wants the dog run to be made right.
“I want a dog run that is successful and that the dog owners of Woodside can enjoy,” Van Bramer said recently. “There is a lot of ground not being used and we have an opportunity to expand it.”
Rob Henderson and Ashley at Doughboy Park dog run
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15 Comments
Parks should be for kids. Dogs should not even be permitted.
But dogs do need a place to run about and work off some of their energy. We can’t all have little teacups.
frankendope, there is plenty of room for kids. Dog owners and people w/o dogs/kids pay taxes and should be able to enjoy city parks.
I like dogs and if they reside in our community then they should be allowed to run around somewhere. There is an anti-dog sentiment but that’s the fault of their owners, too many of whom don’t bother to train their dogs properly or clean up after their dog. If we could get rid of them, I’d be happy to let their dogs stay here.
Parks should be for dogs. Kids should not even be permitted.
Any word when the park next to 51St subway will be improved? Horrible condition and upkeep of this very high traffic park/rest area not to overlook continuous rodents even during daylight.
You mean the one where the parents let their kids run around chasing after rats, playing with them? Then look at the 311 callers wondering what our deal is?
How do they come up with these numbers?!
If the dog run can only be accessed by stairs it will not be ADA compliant.
What in this city is accessible? Not even the sidewalks in some cases.
Another victory for the poodle terrorists. You know the SSP won’t print anything critical of SUDS.
This wouldn’t be a SUDS joint. We’re just here to help out:) very angry is loco. I guess you’d be a keyboard ‘terrorist’? Lol.
How does the parks department plan to make the dog run handicap accessible?
How many handicapped dogs are there?
More work is planned for that part of the park in the fall.