Groundbreaking News!

Dogs Celebrating at DiMattina Dog Park

In case you haven't heard or visited the dog park this week, the renovation has finally begun! Parks and Recreation and elected officials held a groundbreaking ceremony earlier this week. Work has already begun on removing some trees and fences, and marking the area for the small dog run.

No estimates on how long the renovation will take, but we were told the park will reopen within the year. One official told us he thought it might be finished in late spring. You can be sure that Carroll Gardens Dog Owners Group will be keeping an eye on work going on in the park and staying in contact with Parks and our elected officials. If you would like to get involved, drop us a line! 

Here is the only news coverage I could find on the groundbreaking:

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131015/carroll-gardens/construction-begin-on-new-dimattina-dog-run-officials-say

http://www.broadwayworld.com/brooklyn/article/NYC-Parks-to-Break-Ground-on-450K-Renovation-of-Dimattina-Park-Dog-Run-1029-20131028

Dog Park Renovation Update

Illustration by Aaron Meshon

Carroll Gardens DOG member James A. has been keeping in touch with Parks and Recreation on the progress of our renovation. The latest news is that the final plans are out for bid, and construction will begin next summer with completion 3-4 months later. Of course this timeline could be delayed as it has before! When we have more information we will share it here and on our Facebook.

Still Waiting for Dog Park Renovation Start Date

Since we recently repaired and rehung our bulletin board at the dog park we've been hearing from more of you who saw our blog and email address posted on it. Some are asking about the status of our renovation. It's still in the works, but progress is slow. Since we made our recommendations to Community Board 6 and Parks back in January we have been waiting for news of a start date. Every few weeks we check in with the Dept of Parks and Recreation. We don't yet have a date on when the renovation will begin, but we were told that projects often take two years in design and then construction. 

The good news is that we WILL get a major renovation and the funding from our City  Councilmember Brad Lander and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is in place. 

Here's the plan, in case you missed the news last year:

- new surface of crushed granite (like Tompkin's Square Park and others) with a drainage layer underneath
- an expansion, adding a separate small dog run in the adjacent vacant lot 
- new lighting
- new benches
- new water fountains

If you would like to get involved with planning events for the dog park, get in touch with us! We need your help to keep this group going!

Andrea

It's My Park Day Spring Cleanup

We had about twenty neighbors in all come out for our annual spring cleanup today for It's My Park Day! Thanks to all that came to paint, weed and sweep the dog park. The wall has been painted, and we've added more of the mesh screens to the front gate to prevent the smallest dogs from slipping out. 


Thanks to James for the cookies and Jackie for the table and cool drinks! The Department of Parks and Recreation brought us supplies and It's My Park Day t-shirts, and we were visited by the Red Hook Star-Revue newspaper and our local Parks Dept managers. Here are some photos...

The wall before a fresh coat of Central Park Green was rolled on.

As we were clearing vines from the fence, we found a bird's nest hanging in an old bicycle basket!

We hope to have an update soon on our renovation. See you at the dog park!!

Spring Cleanup and Meetup at the Dog Park May 19

Fellow Dog Owners!

Our annual spring cleanup and meetup is happening Saturday, May 19 from 10:00am to 12:00 noon on It's My Park Day. Join your neighbors in weeding, painting, sweeping, and clearing our park of garbage and debris. We'll supply tools, work gloves, and cool drinks. Just bring yourself! Dogs optional. We can also answer questions about our impending renovation and discuss ideas for future events.

DiMattina Dog Park Spring Cleanup and Meetup
Saturday, May 19
10:00am to 12:00 noon
(Post-cleanup beers afterward, location TBD)

Spring at the DiMattina Dog Park

The bulbs and trees are blooming at the dog park! 


Visit the blog soon for news of our Spring Cleanup in May and other dog park news and events.


To join our mailing list, email us at cgdogrun at  gmail.com. You'll get an occasional email (no more than once a month) about events, meetings, and renovation news. 


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See you at the dog park!