Photos by Stacie Joy
The Tompkins Square Park dog run has received a $400,000 investment thanks to the New York State Assembly.
The Assembly-directed funding will go to upgrade and resurface the large dog run.
On Tuesday, Manhattan Borough Commissioner for Parks Tricia Shimamura, Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade organizer Joseph Borduin, Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, and the city's first honorary Dog Mayor Sally Long Dog, were in the park to make the announcement...
Said Shimamura: "This funding will enable our agency to continue transforming and enhancing Tompkins Square Park, providing East Village residents — both humans and dogs — with a state-of-the-art dog run."
No word just yet when the upgrades might commence.
27 comments:
Gee, that sounds like an awful lot of money.
$400k?! How on earth could it cost $400k to resurface the dog park? I got there with my dog regularly and I am still offended by this.
That’s a laughable amount for a dog run. Adopt a cat people.
Vote for one of these dogs for president in 2028--on the Bow Wow ticket. Woof woof!
That large dog run has been in desperate need of an overhaul for a long time now. It's basically just a huge dusty pit and could easily do with some upgrades. Good on Harvey for directing something that benefits the neighborhood's public parks and the (increasing number of) dog owners in the neighborhood
it is a lot of money - that dog run smells really bad - I'm not surprised it would take that much cash to clean it up!
Has a decision been made to make sure portions of Tompkins Square are always closed? The field house renovation, which closed that entire area even though there was no work being done outside the field house, was scheduled to be finished when? There have been very few workers on site for the duration of that job so far. They seem to be addressing the big trench that has more of the park closed after digging the hole, putting up fencing and then letting it sit for a while (marinate?). And the kid pool will be replaced and that should take as long as imaginable if not more.
I'm all for getting the work done, and the two athletic areas were finished efficiently, but wouldn't it be best to finish the field house before closing whatever to renovate the dog run?
I have a very bad feeling that when this dog run is closed for renovations dog owners will move to take over a nearby children's park. For those already contemplating this idea, think again, we parents of human children won't let you in.
Oh wow. He looks so much taller in his campaign posters.
this is straight up embarrassing use of capital especially in such a neglected area
This must be a joke... Say it is! TSP needs new the roadways to be repaved. They're dangerous. There are pot holes and worse. How in good conscience can the Parks Dept repave the dog run and endanger the health of the humans that pay the taxes for the upkeep of the park. How insulting and humiliating. Does anybody think the dogs really care or will even notice? Dumb... Just dumb.
Classic government spending. Same issue with NYCHA. The private sector does this for a fraction of the cost.
Have you been to the new Madison square park dog run? 1.3 million for that project
I would be surprised if this happens next year. most likely 2026
Half A million dollars for the dog run is a slap in the face to us human beings. Tompkins Square park is falling apart. There’s garbage everywhere the roadways are destroyed, it’s taken over a year to refurbish one little building, the homeless people bring tons of garbage into the park, graffiti written all over the pavement, overflowing garbage cans, but wait stop everything…our top priority is to help the dogs, live a better life?!?! I’ve been coming to this park for 30 years and the most annoying part of this park is not the homeless people it’s not the junkies it’s not the weirdos and mental cases. It’s the noise that these barking dogs make every day of the week! People, and especially you clueless parks department people - wake the hell up, whatever happened to HUMAN rights?
this stinks
Got my vote! Arf! 😬
Let's look into how this money is being spent.
It cost that much to make the surface and multiple layers of drainage underneath just like the Little Dog Run. Many people think that the green turf is plastic, but it is not. A natural combination of Bamboo and coco mat with a natural binder. It is very expensive to install as well.
To this, I say....WOOF WOOF WOOF!
I’m glad to see the dog park renovation moving forward. We started drawing up designs and gathering estimates for this project 2 years ago when we installed the turf in the small dog area. $400K is roughly what it crusts for renovating 20,000 sq ft of public park land whether it’s asphalt, dog park, landscaping, etc. Remember the dog park provides recreation for every human at the end of the leash — it’s not just for the dogs!
There will also be big improvements coming for the rest of the park HOWEVER there are still some BIG WISH LIST items left out standing:
— The Friends of Tompkins Square Park needs to get funded. They should have a 1 million annual budget similar to neighboring parks like Washington & Madison Square. I think they only have a few hundred dollars and the promise of some grant proposals.
— Tompkins needs a newly installed central lawn with irrigation. Grass seeding is not enough. The lawn needs new turf, irrigation sprinklers, and a plan to responsibly keep a portion of the lawn closed for regrowth while a larger section remains open for visitors
— Repairs to the pavement throughout the entire park (not just the 9th street transverse) which included HEXTILES that are water permeable and better for surrounding green space than asphalt. The parks department also needs to remove the old cobble stone islands throughout the park that break the plows every winter and prevents proper plowing & snow removal
— Tompkins families & children need 2 active fields where kids can play, do sports, touch grass, etc. Currently all fields adjacent to the central lawn are closed to the public
— Lastly the long discussed larger sidewalk or plaza for the farmer’s market & other events needs to come to fruition
I’ve since moved from NYC after 45 years. But I hope others continue to step up and advocate for this beloved space. I’m sure there are many other worthwhile projects that our park needs. It’s volunteers & folks in the neighborhood that can make that happen — and stick with these projects for years (sometime a decade) in order to make them happen
Aw dang, didn't know you left! Spike says hello.
@ November 20, 2024 at 10:17 AM
I wouldn't bring my dog to the playground any sooner than you'd bring your child(ren) to the dog run. Relax.
@ November 20, 2024 at 10:17 AM
I wouldn't bring my dog to the playground any sooner than you'd bring your child(ren) to the dog run. Relax.
Government waste. The park needs a complete overhaul. Lawn, walkways, benches sprinkle system. They are focusing on resurfacing the dog run that will likely need to be replaced again in a couple of years.
OK, sounds like a lot of you have passed your NYC expiration dates and need to return to the suburbs whence you came. This is a heavily-used community facility that makes the EV better for many people. If you so bitterly begrudge anything that doesn't benefit you directly, really, Ayn Rand is calling you from some miserable single-family-zoned county of Ohio.
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