A rendering of the dog run after renovation. Click to enlarge.
By Carol Tannenhauser
It’s been a long time coming, but Bull Moose Dog Run, located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, next to the Museum of Natural History, is finally getting a full renovation.
“We are happy to report that the construction for this project is about to begin after Manhattan Borough President (Gale) Brewer provided the additional funding needed to award the contract,” emailed Crystal Howard, assistant commissioner of communications, NYC Parks. “Construction is scheduled to begin in July and expected to last a year. The cost is projected to be $684,000.”
Brewer first allocated $250,000 to repair the dog run back in 2013. By 2017, no work had been done and the projected cost had risen to $440,000, which Brewer and City Council Member Helen Rosenthal provided.
“The reconstruction of Bull Moose Dog Run has been a long haul—so I’m thrilled that this project is finally set to begin,” Brewer said. “I want to congratulate the dog owners who have been nothing but patient and responsive during this process, and the Parks Department for listening to concerns of both dog owners and community members.”
“This project, when completed, will address the long-term issues of concern,” Howard said. That includes: regrading, resurfacing and reconfiguring the run; repairing faulty drainage; replacing and adding benches and other equipment; and protecting existing mature trees.
Jill Weinberg, whose dog, Ellie, depends on the dog run for daily exercise, was happy about the renovations, but dismayed by the time it will take to complete them. “Don’t get me started !!” she texted. “Not that it doesn’t desperately need to be renovated BUT why a year!!!😡”
Elaine Boxer, a community resident who has worked for six years to get the project underway, was elated by the news, but cautious. “Now, our focus and challenge centers around actually getting started in July, and then, getting through all the construction steps in a timely matter instead of dragging on and on unnecessarily. It ain’t over until it’s over!”
Here is a summary of the process provided by the Parks Department:
The project started (with design) and is on schedule:
Design
Start Date: July 2017
Projected Completion Date: June 2018
Completion Date: July 2018
Procurement
Start Date: July 2018
Projected Completion Date: April 2019
Adjusted Completion Date: July 2019
Construction
Construction will last 12 months
Funding
$684,000
Here we go again…..
I love this place, wonderful to see the dogs, visit with other owners.
Absolute disgrace that it will take a year.
Let’s get the Trump team that did Wollman Rink, will get done in 2 weeks.
Typical bureaucratic featherbedding.
Not even a $million project and takes a year! Nonsense.
If you let Trump do it, contractors won’t get paid and he’ll pretend he did it for free while pocketing $10 million.
LOL – I needed that with this group.
Where is this located?
81st between CPW and Columbus. Touches the Parking Garage at AMNH.
Is it possible to move the dog run temporatily to another spot around TR park or closeby?
Doubt there is money and time to build a temporary dog run. Next closest runs are in Riverside Park – 72nd & Riverside and 87th & Riverside. Or you can partake in off-leash hours at Central Park or Riverside Park before 9AM.
Needed repairs but I guess they don’t think that small dogs deserve water. Hmmm!!
They should try and make a bit more sense for all these bucks.
Instead of complaining here, call this Crystal Howard 212-360-1311 & also Steve Simon 212-408-0110 (Parks publicly lists their numbers on the DPR website) to tell them a year is too long and how that will impact you.
You could also ask if Parks could designate one of the small fenced lawns next to the museum as a temporary dog run.
You could ALSO call your elected officials — Helen Rosenthal, Gale Brewer, and Linda Rosenthal (numbers all searchable online) — to alert them to the fact that Parks may be dragging their feet on this and need some more…motivation
Unless you think just passively whinging under a WSR article accomplishes anything?
The big problem with the existing Teddy’s Run is that there were no moldings installed along its exterior fencing such that the pea gravel wouldn’t migrate and leave low spots on the surface that become puddles and mud after rain/snow events. How do I/we/the Dog Run Users’ committee communicate this to the Parks Dept? It would be a shame to spend all that $$$ and have the same design deficiency.
I would have thought that pea gravel was a necessary element in a dog run, no?
Is the plan to flip the large and small dog spaces? So the small dog section will be near the garage? Or is the schematic upside down / presented in inverse form?
And why would there be gates (right hand side) without a proximate second gate to prevent animals escaping?
price and time are outrageous? An entire house is built in 3 months for half that price.
How about bathrooms and water for people in new york
— “How about bathrooms and water for people in new york[?]”
Starbucks across the street. Museum of Natural History right next door. Plenty of both, already right there for you.
Next!
How about soundproofing for the people whose bedrooms overlook the run?
a tax for dog owners in NYC would be great to cover all the water needed for cleaning sidewalks, replacing dead trees, money for toxic paints on metal things that the urine destroys, etc etc etc
I don’t have a child yet my taxes pay for schools, playgrounds, etc. ..
While I don’t at all agree that dogs are catastrophic as you describe, dog owners already pay the tax you advocate every time they get, or renew, the dog’s license.
Next!
Not only does the drainage need to be addressed, but adequate lighting for night visits. Floodlights mounted on garage wall would be a plus (footprint not to exceed boundaries of the run. Lamps along sidewalk do not provide enough light. Also, Parks Dept. has to make concerted effort to see that curfew is enforced.
Like with the library renovation that is scheduled to take over a year to complete, one wonders what could be so difficult about building a dog run, for goodness sake, that it’s going to take a YEAR!!! The Empire State Building was built in just about the same amount of time (less than 14 months).
Upper West Side dogs are very demanding and have very high expectations. Not just *any* run of the mill dog run for them!
This entire renovation of Tompkins Square small dog run took 10 days — the difference was it was not funded by NYC Parks. The price tag and timetable is ridiculous
https://www.tompkinssquaredogrun.com/news
Yeah there was a big rainstorm in April and for a few hours afterwards it was Bull Moose Dog Lake.