By Lisa Kava

It’s been quiet at a busy dog run that closed for renovations last summer — too quiet, some locals say. “Most days there is absolutely no work going on,” wrote one West Side Rag reader.

But don’t get too hot under the (dog) collar, the Parks Department says. The renovation of the Bull Moose Dog Run is underway and on schedule.

Located on 81st Street, beside the Museum of Natural History, the Bull Moose Dog Run (BMDR) is a well-loved gathering spot for a large community of dog owners and walkers, who enjoy the coffee and chitchat as much as watching their dogs romp around. It’s one of those communities that makes New York feel smaller and more homey. Owners have stayed loyal even though the place could feel neglected, flooding every time it rained hard, forming puddles verging on lakes.

The effort to renovate the run began in the summer of 2011, when the Bull Moose Dog Run Community Association (BMDRCA) was formed to fix the “deplorable condition of the BMDR,” recalled community activist and member Elaine Boxer.

“We all rallied together for the purpose of resurfacing the dog run” said Jane Beal, president of the BMDRCA. “We had parties and fundraisers and endless meetings. It’s been nothing but frustration and disappointment ever since.”

There were obstacles to the project early on, including an initial lack of funding, and many details to accomplish — obtaining CB7’s approval, receiving cooperation from the Parks Department, hiring a design architect and a contractor — Boxer said. After many years, and with funding eventually provided by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council Member Helen Rosenthal, it seemed, in the summer of 2019, that the project was finally moving forward.

Community members were excited, only to be disappointed again when, for four months, the project seemed to stall. Neighborhood residents and members of the BMDRCA who walked by the site daily reported there wasn’t a worker in sight. The dog owners were distraught.

“It’s as if you had a combined gym and coffee shop where you could play ball and hang out with your friends… and suddenly it was gone, allegedly for renovation,” said Dora and Noah Hanft, owners of a six-year-old labradoodle named Gobi. “And every day you’d walk by and the place was demolished with no sign of any work being done.”

But in early January workers finally reappeared at the BMDR and the Parks Department reported they are on schedule to complete the work by July 2020, as per a contract with the construction company.

A spokesperson from the Parks Department told West Side Rag that work did in fact take place during what many believed to be a four-month delay. “During that period, the contractor was working on acquiring the dog run surface material. They also installed fencing and benches and worked to address drainage issues found after the site was excavated,” she explained. “Certain adjustments were necessary in response to site conditions.”

“The reconstruction of Bull Moose Dog Run has been a long haul — so I’m thrilled that construction is again underway,” said Gale Brewer.

“After years of delay, which resulted in ballooning costs, my constituents and I remain cautiously optimistic that construction on the Bull Moose Dog Run will actually be completed by July 2020. My office…will continue to advocate for its timely completion until the first dog sets its paws upon the run,” said Linda Rosenthal.

“As thrilled as I am…I deeply wish it could have cost $500K less and been completed in 2013,” said Elaine Boxer. The cost of the run is projected to be $684,000. “The amount of effort, time and money it has taken to get the repairs prioritized and undertaken has been extreme and exhausting.”

The loss of BMDR has also affected dog walkers. “We are all anxiously awaiting the reopening of the dog run,” said Rebecca Barr, a neighborhood walker. “The loss of the dog run has been detrimental to the closeness of our community.”

If all goes as planned, the BMDRCA will see an exciting end result by July… a newly renovated dog run complete with improved surface, new benches and a working drainage system where the community of people and dogs can finally reconvene.