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Soccer Players Bring Bucket to Sunnyside

Photo: QueensPost

August 9, 2010, Staff Report

Many residents have long complained that the throngs of soccer players who come to Lou Lodati Park (43rd and Skillman) each weekend fail to use the bathroom and urinate against the trees and back fence.

This weekend the players – most of whom come from outside of Sunnyside – answered their critics by establishing a makeshift bathroom.

 

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Rick Duro

The issue with the soccer/volleyball players urinating all over the park has been going on for years. SUDS is in the park each and every evening and we see the aftermath: giant puddles of urine behind the trees, ammonia poured onto the pee in an effort to try and mask the odor (which kills the tree and is dangerous to any child, dog that comes into contact with it), trash (which we try and clean up), even human feces from time to time (and yes, we’ve seen people take dumps with us there…)

When SUDS got involved with Lodati Park there were weekend soccer games that attracted, literally, 100-200 spectators on a friday/sat, the park would be trashed and the amount of urine behind all the trees was beyond description. There were literally lines to pee behind the trees.

It got better from 2005-2009, but there was an uptick last year and now it’s gotten worse, but, still nowhere near as bad as it was years back.

The bathroom should indeed be open later, that would be a great idea…..But they wont use them anyway. The majority of peeing takes place in broad daylight behind the 3 trees in the park closest to 43rd St when the bathroom is O P E N. They are just too lazy to walk up the hill.

Alcohol & food are frequently sold in the park, they take the cans with them to redeem. They leave trash everywhere and really show little respect for the neighborhood. Gambling is also an issue.

I am all for people exercising and enjoying the park, but show some respect and have a little class.

While dog urine isn’t roses, it pales in comparison to human piss. Smell the area around those last 3 trees nearest 43rd st and then go to the first two. You’ll be overpowered by the human urine and not even notice the dog pee.

Most dogs pee on their way to the park anyway. It’s encouraged.

Not sure how we can A. Get the Parks Dept to leave the bathroom open later and B. Get the soccer/volleyball players to use it….

The usual buckets tyhey use (much smaller than that one in the picture)end up getting filled up to the top and they do indeed leave them there. Instead of emptying them into a sewer they continue to pee into them as they overflow. We gave them the idea to use the buckets last year, to be used when the bathroom is CLOSED, but they obviously use it all day long, even when the bathroom is open.

Rick Duro
SUDS

Reply
harry

This is gross but what’s more gross is that there is no clean safe public alternative. While NYC talked about having self-cleaning toilets over and over again like they do in so many other “civilized” cities from San Francisco to London to Paris to Toronto to… the list goes on.

Even though there has been lots of talk about them in NYC there never seems to be too much happening. I wonder if our reps can get us a few of these for Sunnyside:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/sidewalks/streetfurniture.shtml#apt
http://gothamist.com/2008/01/11/nyc_unveils_new.php

Reply
Time's Up

People need to pee. This is an indisputable fact of life.

The park bathrooms should be open. If they aren’t, then men will go where it’s convenient.

Dogs do it in public all the time, so I don’t see why it’s such a big deal when humans dol. And kudos to them for at least trying to be more considerate.

Reply
Mee Too

Wonder who has the pleasure of dumping out that bucket

In the end, would likely end up on that very same spot anyway

Wonder what those park rangers do all day besides shooo away dogs and their owners

Reply
Sunnyside Gawker

I once encountered one of them about to urinate on the tree there and yelled at him to go to the adjoining comfort station. He sheepishly apologized and ran off in that direction only to return minutes later about to explode explaining the bathrooms were locked. Totally grossed out and yet feeling badly for the guy I agreed to turn away while he took care of business back at that very same tree.

Reply
sunnyside_south

that is nasty. even in the bucket. is this the type of neighborhood we want to live in, with people urinating in public in front of kids at a public playground?

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