The dog run at 64th and Boulevard East in West New York is a hit with canines and their owners. It has spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop. In a county where dogs aren’t supposed to run free in the local parks, the run is a space where dogs, and their owners, can gather and socialize in a “dog-friendly” environment. The regulars know one another better by the name of their dogs than by each other’s own names.
Because the park was opened in advance of its completion precisely to give people a place to take their dogs, there are still some concerns of dog owners that will be addressed as the entire north park project is fully realized.
Part of a larger project
Richard Turner, business administrator for the town of West New York, indicated that Mayor Albio Sires and the Board of Commissioners were responding to what has happened in earlier years when the parks were closed to dogs for sanitary reasons. “The mayor and the commissioners thought that this location would be the perfect spot, and it was included in the original plan for the design of the streetscape for the Boulevard East restoration project,” he said last week.
The restoration project is in the third and final phase of a three-stage process. This final phase, which includes the new dog run, extends from 60th Street to 67th Street along the eastern side of Boulevard East and was funded by a $1.6 million grant obtained through the state of New Jersey’s Green Acres program. Earlier phases of the project have already transformed Donnelly Park and Boulevard East from 51st to 60th streets. According to Turner, the dog run, designed by Rivardo, Schnitzer, and Capazzi of Cliffside Park, N.J., is still a work-in-progress. “We opened it up early,” he said. “Mayor Sires wanted to open it up before that whole quadrant [of the restoration project] was completed so that people would have somewhere to take their dogs.”
Happy dogs – and owners
About noontime on a warm Tuesday in September, Ginger, a 5-year-old Wheaten Terrier, and her human companion, West New York resident Danny Klein, joined the others in the park.
When asked for his reaction to the dog run, Klein said, “I think it’s great. It was a long time coming. There are a lot of dog owners, and there aren’t a lot of places to take a dog. It’s great to have place to take your dog where they can socialize with other dogs.” As for Ginger’s feelings, Klein interpreted, “She loves it.”
When asked about the proper etiquette when you bring your dog to a park like this, Klein said, “Clean up’s big.”
The he added, “And just making sure that the dogs get along.”
Magda-Lynn Kachmar, who was at the park with her neighbor’s Airedale, Willow, agreed that the park is a great thing, but she added, bag in hand, “What we would really like is some receptacles in here. There’s a gentleman in our building who cleans up at night in case anyone’s forgotten.”
Indeed, according to Kachmar, this same gentleman is apparently the one to be thanked for the plastic bags wedged into the fence, just in case anyone forgets to bring a pickup sack. Kachmar also added that she would “like to see some sort of water facility.”
There was also concern about stagnant water gathering in the corners. Monica McGuinty, who brought her two dogs, Monty – a greyhound – and Aggie, “the mutt,” said, “I had heard that dogs were drinking that water and getting sick from it.” As a result, she had been taking her two dogs to the dog run in North Bergen. “North Bergen has [drinking] water, bags, and trash cans. I started taking my dogs there. Your dogs get dirtier but it’s bigger and there’s plenty of shade.”
But the drainage matter has at least partially been addressed by the addition of a second, internal fence within the enclosure, which prevents the dogs from drinking the water that gathers in the corners of the sandy area as well as giving an added measure of security.
When asked about the owners’ drainage concerns, Richard Turner said, “We’re working on the drainage issue.” He added that it would be fully resolved when the entire north park is completed, but with a sandy surface, there may still be puddles of water that accumulate.
Indeed, even as the owners there expressed the improvements they would like to see, they were almost apologetic about it. The overwhelming attitude is one of gratitude and appreciation. Kachmar pointed out that “these are minor changes compared to what they’ve already done.”
Monica McGuinty joined in, “They’ve done a great job.” To which Kachmar added, “And I’m sure the other neighbors [who don’t have dogs] appreciate it because now we bring our dogs here instead of taking them on the sidewalks and streets.”
McGuinty was also full of praise for the town and the administration in general. “I love living here,” she said. “Whenever I have a problem I just call City Hall, and it’s taken care of, bada bing, bada boom. They’ve got it together.”