Existing dog run at Doughboy to be revamped
Oct. 29, 2013 By Christian Murray
Dog owners of Woodside unite.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer wants the Woodside dog community to come together and form a group that would advocate and advise the public on all things related to canines in Woodside.
Van Bramer, who is working with Woodside on the Move, wants such a group to help him put together a design for a new dog run at Doughboy Park. The group—which would be called the Woodside United Dog Society–would help him and the Parks Dept. determine the layout.
In 2012, Van Bramer allocated $250,000 in funding to revamping the dog run.
The new group would also take responsibility for the dog run upon its completion—much like Sunnyside United Dog Society does with the new run at Lou Lodati Park.
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29 Comments
My neighbor who is a teacher here in JVB’s district said that Jimmy allocated $300k to his school. Jimmy does a a great job at diversifying his budget. The people had spoken and people who paid $425k for their 2 bedroom condo on 42nd Street, off of Skillman Avenue wanted a dog run for their dogs. They wanted a return on their investment for being homeowners here in Sunnyside. Everybody has to have their needs/wants met. Good job JVB!
Reuben, come on now. You are wise enough to know that politicos don’t get 100% of the job done. Good community activism goes a long way. If someone wants the world around them to change, for the positive, they need to be more involved.
as for ‘dog needs’. Plenty of $ is being spent on a daily basis for kids in our ‘hood. The refurbished park behind the school was completed a few years ago and the upper part of Lodati was completed just before that AND a whole new park was redone, which includes a ball park and a dog run. Wasn’t Doughboy recently re-done too?
RD
Sunnyside Native, There’s no balance , Measure how much is allocating for stuff OTHER than Dog related things in Sunnyside, it’s wayyyyy off.
Rick- I vote for the people who take action, I don’t have the time to be everyone’s hero , I just point out the irony in things.
Elected officials should be working on what Sunnyside needs not what it wants. Dog stuff aren’t NEEDS.
@RMB
Good luck with wood chips, pebblestone and dirt. I have done a lot of research on the topic over the past decade and the surface that we have is best. Easier to clean and smells the least, not to mention the fact that it stays cool on hot days. The dog run doesn’t smell right now, in the summer ALL dog runs have an odor to them. Our smell issue was because the garbage cans were not being emptied by the Parks Dept regularly enough.
There is no perfect surface, all have their + and -.
Woodchips, pebblestone create a much stronger odor and lead to disease, and is expensive to replace, which has to be done a few times a year. Also, a large amount of the wood chips/pebbles end up outside the dog run. Dirt is just a disgusting mess (good luck trying to grow grass), not to mention the fact that the run is unusable in inclement weather. Add to that the digging dogs: potholes, uneven surfacing….
The water issue we have had in the dog run is due to the contractor’s poor work on the ‘water box’, this is why the run was often so wet. The constant leaks/flow of water led to pooling and the ‘cool pavement’ surface was affected. The contractor also did not put down as much of that surface topping as he should have and will have to replace it (@ his own co$t) in the spring, as it is under guarantee.
RD
SUDS
Hello so excited about a new dog run in the area! My one suggestion would be to not use concrete as a play surface. Dirt or gravel would be better for the dogs and the run would not require a hose. One argument for concrete is that the material keeps the oder down. I really don’t think thats true because the run in Sunnyside smelled even when people would spray water on the waste. I also think that oder and dog runs are unavoidable. The water on the concrete run was always there. Dogs slip on the wet surface and skid causing sprains. Having dirty standing water around is also unsafe. Concrete runs also require more maintenance like resurfacing due to cracks and chips etc. Dirt and gravel has a natural draining system. Is easy on the dogs paws and joints. Lets give our dogs a break from concrete!
He cares nothing about the other side . Only the side he lives on!
Reuben, step up and DO something. Form a group that would advocate for the things you mentioned. Be a man of action.
RD
My husband and I would love to have a dog run at Doughboy Park for our pooch! The prior one is small, crappy and that hill to get to it is ridiculous. Thanks JVB!
@ Ruben – For all the Sunnyside & Woodside folks who own houses, condos and co-ops, and those who do not have kids AND do not WANT kids, they deserve a return on their investment for buying property in Sunnyside. I have neighbors who do not EVER want to have children, yet they have dogs and this was important to them. It is not ALL about the kids. There has to be a perfect balance for appeasing the needs of all Sunyside residents, NOT just the ones who decided to procreate. I used to tutor kids and the parents paid me cash, off the books. Maybe that’s what the parents of all these kids who are in desperate need of a tutor for their children should do. Just a thought. It’s not rocket science…
Holy SWEET jesus , 250,000 for Dog related bullshit?? WOW Sunnyside is ridiculous, seriously.
you don’t have anything for kids, the after school program barely fits kids that need to be watched, no legit day care centers to help parents out who can’t get home till 5:30 or later, all you ridiculous people care about is these stupid animals.
250,000 can have provided SO much for the kids who are having a hard time, who need tutoring.
pathetic.
Thank you Cheryl:)
If South siders can find a spot that is viable SUDS is always willing to help:)
Cheers,
Rick
There is a vacant piece of land at the back of st Raphael s church on the south side , I don’t know who owns it and I know it’s not an ideal place (its along the service road of lie)but if it was fenced maybe it could work
dogs arent picky, you can do this for 10 grand and use the other 240,000 for something else.
Dog runs create a social space for dogs and their owners. Any project aimed at increasing the quality of life in the the Sunnyside/Woodside area is undoubtedly a good thing. Bravo for a movement towards community organizing.
Rick Duro, thank you for the dog run at 43rd. It is a beautiful place and is run very well. I do hope that people will contact you to help get one a in Woodside. Thank you for all you do.
I stand corrected. I did not realize there had been a run near the statue.
I think people have largely learned they must clean up. I don’t see much on the streets anymore, although some people seem to see it everywhere.
The spot where the original dog run was in Doughboy Park was right next to the Doughboy statue, on the lawn across from an apartment building.
…The noise was the most complaint and then the mess .. People
did not clean up ..
Dog owners also had their dogs drinking from the water fountains ..
Nice trick but come on ugh ….
I know at leastone person who worked very hard to get that dog run, a lady who moved just a few years ago. There was no other dog run before that one. And she fought hard to get that one, if I remember the stories she used to tell me.
It’s a dog’s world. When can we get a Sunnyside cat run? Rabbit hutch? Bird sanctuary? Llama paddock? Goat herd? Chicken run? Petting zoo? Lizard vivarium? Aquarium? Horse stable? Ant farm?
First World Problems
Arf Arf
Woodside Dog owners can contact us at sudsmutts@hotmail.com, or on facebook @ S.U.D.S. Mutts.
RD
SUDS would be glad to share our experience/know how to help Woodside land a real dog run.
It’ll take a lot of work, but it can be accomplished. When I got involved w/ SUDS my dog was 6 months, when we opened the park she was 10.5yrs…
I have heard conflicting stories over the years about how that tiny ‘box’ of a dog park was created. One account had a larger dog run in a different part of the park, which was moved due to complaints and it was then shrunk down, drastically…
Anyone know the actual story?
Rick Duro
SUDS
Michael – You should contact Jimmy Van Bramer if you are interested in a dog run on the south side. I truly doubt the community board would approve one to be built one out over there, as there is already one on the north side of the blvd., plus the dog run in Woodside that is getting a facelift. We have met a bunch of people from the south side of the blvd., at the SUDS dog run. It took SUDS 12/13 years for the dream of our dog run to come to fruition. It took a lot of work, effort and attending many community board meetings. Good Luck in your efforts!
truly, they take up the entirety of doughboy park already. why not enforce leash laws and curbing laws and then ask the neighborhood for more real estate.
South Sunnyside desperately needs a dog run. The small park at 43rd St. and Greenpoint Av (Thompson Hill) has lost all its grass from dogs going up in non-pedestrian tree areas.
This is all great but they need to focus on the dog poop problem. It’s out of control!
how many dog runs do we need?
Very happy for our Woodside neighbors that they will get a new, revamped dog run. Please let us, SUDS, know if you need any help in working with the Woodside dog group. Please contact Rick Duro and he can collaborate our efforts.