Dog Run in Woodside to be Completed by September, But Residents Won’t be Able to Use it for Months

Dog Run at Doughboy Park in Woodside (Photo: July 31, 2018 QueensPost)

Aug. 6, 2018 By Christian Murray

The dilapidated dog run at Doughboy Park is expected to be fully revamped by the end of this month–but dog owners will have to wait months before they can use it.

The School Construction Authority, which was put in charge of overhauling the beaten-up run, is close to finishing it.

However, the Parks Dept., which was tasked with installing stairs to make the dog run accessible, has not started construction. The stairs are needed since the run is located at the top of a muddy, rocky and unevenly-sloped hill.

The Parks Dept isn’t expected to start building the stairs until this fall, and residents will not be able to use the run until the stairs are complete.

“We expect to begin construction on the stairs in the fall,” said a spokesperson for the Parks Department, who said the project is currently in the procurement stage. “While SCA is slated to finish the dog run this month, there is only one point of access, as such, the public will not have access until the stairs are completed.”

The beaten-up dog run was expected to be overhauled several years ago. Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer allocated $250,000 toward the project in 2013.

Doughboy Park/Plaza and P.S. 11 (Google)

However, the project was delayed since the dog run area was used by the SCA as a staging area for the construction of a new school building and playground at P.S. 11, which is on an adjacent site.

The school building—adding 350 seats— opened last September, while the playground is expected to be completed this month along with the dog run.

The SCA was tasked with revamping the dog run since it used the site during school construction.

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer urged the Parks Dept. to make building the stairs a priority.

“The people and dog owners of Woodside have waited long enough for this dog run,” Van Bramer said. “Parks needs to complete this work as quickly as possible for local residents to use and enjoy,” Van Bramer said.

Van Bramer said that the hill leading up to the dog run has been in terrible condition for years and needs to be revamped. “The fencing has been an eyesore for too long.”