This map represents what the Sunnyside United Dog Society has been advocating for, plans courtesy of SUDS.
June 30, 2010 By Christian Murray
Lou Lodati Park will be undergoing a $1.4 million rehabilitation, which will include a dog run, according to councilman Jimmy Van Bramer. The park is located on Skillman Ave (bet. 42nd and 43rd).
The completion of the overhaul should take about two years, with the design phase about to begin.
Half the funds for the rehabilitation are coming from Van Bramer’s office, with the borough president’s office kicking in the rest.
Van Bramer said that the entire park will be resurfaced and it will include well-marked sports fields.
“While the park is in functional, active use — it needs to be resurfaced, since the concrete is uneven and could cause injuries,” Van Bramer said, adding that “many folks have also asked for a dog run.”
He said it was too early in the design phase to say what sports fields will be incorporated as part of the park. However, he did say the basketball courts will be revamped. There will be some trees and additional green space, he added.
The Torsney Playground, which is adjacent to the park, will remain unchanged.
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13 Comments
I’m about to move to Sunnyside from a very green and very dog-friendly neighborhood in Brooklyn. I have to say that the lack of dog-friendly parks in the area was a huge turn off, and almost a deal-breaker–so this is GREAT news for me, a responsible and respectful dog-owner. Cheers to Mr. Van Bramer for leading the efforts!!! I hope to run into all of you dog-friendly folks out there (and steer clear from the not so friendly ones…).
I agree the dog poop issue in Sunnyside is utterly disgusting, but for those of us who are responsible, tax-paying dog owners the new park is a dream come true. Dog parks help build a sense of community, the same way parents congregate at playgrounds. If you are not convinced, visit the Sunnyside United Dogs Society (S.U.D.S) Facebook page to see just how committed to our community we are. Exercised and well-socialized dogs are the best to be around, and this will only help that.
Thank you, elated, for scaring off the pervert lurking at the park. My kid plays there!
Bean and Sunnyblue, it’s the dog owners of this neighborhood who have generated the park getting it’s makeover!! And if your going to have your picnic in Lou Lodoti park, (which is the park that SUDS has campaigned to have refurbished and where the community will have our dog run) you better pray you don’t get Typhoid or Cholera because there is more human urine and feces covering where your children are playing, than there is dog waste. And as for isn’titobvious, the only thing obvious is the fact that you talk as if you’re only one paying taxes!! I pay my taxes and I deserve the right to use the park with my dogs in a specified area, just as you deserve to sit in the park with your kids or your book. As it is, because I don’t have any children, I don’t get to sit in the park, because according th the “rules” of the park in question, there are supposed to be no adults unaccompanied by children, unless you’re a senior?! Oddly enough, it was me sitting in the ballpark area last summer, with my dogs, who ran off a pervert with a video camera who was recording the kids!! Where were you? Finally the $1.4 million given to us (Sunnyside United Dogs Society) will create a beautiful park for everyone and will in fact generate employment for many. I’m sorry, what was your point again? As a side note, I clean up after my dogs and SUDS organises a “Clean up the Poop Day in Sunnyside every year. I agree with Greg that dogs should be liscensed, but why Greg should the price be higher? YOu want to encourage people to license their dogs, not make it too expensive. There are disabled and elderly people who can bearly afford the current price, so why make it more difficult?
“This vitriol and anti dog sentiment is kind of funny.”
Agreed. And kind of a bummer, too. Eesh.
14million unemployed, not sure how accurate that is but its close, and people are concerned about a dog park/run. Seriously if people keep wasting tax money like this I will take the city gov’t to court and stop paying taxes. Tax is necessary because we need schools and roads repaired and other services, dogs are seriously not on the top of the list.
If you have money for a dog buy a home first and then play with ure dog in the backyard, dogs in small cramped apartments thats animal cruelty.
Dont get me wrong I love dogs, but I love humans first.
Clean up after your dogs!
This vitriol and anti dog sentiment is kind of funny. I’ve lived all over the city and can honestly day that dog-related mess is (probably) a city-wide low in Sunnyside. I agree more green space would be very desirable, but why should that affect the proposed dog run? Why not cut into the area around the ball fields? Why not the ball fields themselves for that matter?
A dog run is currently sorely lacking from Sunnyside. We walk our dog down to run in Doughboy — not a short walk from 40th st. When we get there, we are left to play in a criminally small dog run, tucked into the back corner of the park. The dog run there is seriously neglected, tucked away from sight, filled with sand, a sharp metal barrier, and has a complete lack of lighting.
We look forward to completion of this new run and wait with bated breath to be able to play with our dog a lot closer to home.
THANKS!
I would support a dog run at the park if all laws were enforced, including the law that requires dogs to be licensed. I would also advocate that the city increase the license fee from the paltry $8.50 to something near the cost of cleaning up the waste that dogs create, pounds of sewage, enclosed in plastic bags that are not biodegradable, and then tossed in wastebaskets on the street, which are usually overflowing by Sunday afternoon. Or else,why not just a lawn for humans?
Another request here for green space – a lawn, more trees, plants. Our area of Queens is woefully lacking in parks with a nature component in addition to the sports areas and playground equipment.
How about some GRASS!!? A place to sit in the shade and picnic? Let’s serve the people first. When a dog writes asking for a dog run then I’ll listen.
Sounds great, except for the dog run part – unless they keep it clean. The dog runs in other parks (like Madison Square Park in Manhattan) absolutely stink. But hopefully it might reduce the disgusting amount of dog poop found all around the streets of Sunnyside.
I never thought this would happen. I really hope there are trees and it is not all concrete.
Hell yeah! Now I wanna get a dog again.
Great news!