West New York is the only town in Hudson County that boasts a dog run along the scenic stretch of Boulevard East, but it’s a view that many dog owners and their furry friends haven’t been enjoying lately because the stench of dog waste is overpowering – and that might not change anytime soon.
In July, a local newspaper reported that approximately three months ago a group of concerned dog owners and residents had collected around 175 signatures calling for Mayor Silvero “Sal” Vega to make changes to the park on Boulevard East and 65th Street.
In those reports, Vega said that funding to make upgrades to the park had been put into this year’s budget and a new plan for the dog run should be unveiled by September.
“At the end of the day, we really want to do something really good.” – Daniel Ortega
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Daniel Ortega, Vega’s chief of staff, told The Reporter last week that although the town has been gathering information from dog owners, they are not ready to go into details about upcoming plans for the park.
“We’re still in the process of working on the whole situation,” said Ortega. “Nothing has been decided yet.”
Stinky and dangerous
The dog run, which was created approximately 10 years ago, includes a fenced-in area filled with gravelly dirt surrounded by an asphalt walkway.
The problem seems to stem from the fact that the dog run was built on top of an old tennis court.
“The park is not in a bad condition,” said Ortega. “The biggest problem it has is that it was constructed on top of concrete; water and urine stays there.”
According to users of the park, that has not only created a smelly mess, but a dangerous one.
Some dog owners won’t let their dogs play in the dog run because they fear fleas and bacteria could make their dogs sick.
Others avoid the area after rainy periods, such as this past week, because the pools of water that don’t drain only make the situation worse.
And the odor of dog urine is so potent on some days that it can be smelled at the children’s playground adjacent to the run.
Making a plan
Vega has said that he has heard the concerns of residents and is open to suggestions as the town works on improvements.
Last week, Ortega said that they are currently in the process of getting those suggestions from dog owners to see what they would like done at the park.
But the process is apparently not open to everyone.
Ortega said the town is working with “a list of residents who own dogs,” based on those who signed the letter to the mayor petitioning for changes to the park.
But as of right now, there are no plans to have an open call for suggestions from residents or dog owners at large.
“We will start with those who signed the petition,” said Ortega. “If we open it up to 2,000 people we’ll never finish the dog park.”
Ortega said that a thoughtful planning process is an important step in revamping the dog park to make sure it is done the right way, so the issue doesn’t have to be revisited a few years down the road.
“At the end of the day, we really want to do something really good,” said Ortega.
Construction may begin in winter
Prior to obtaining bids for the work to be done on the park, Ortega said the town wants to have input from the people that use the park, a solid plan of what will be done, and a timeline.
Ortega did not provide an estimated date of when each of those items might come to fruition, but he did say that the town will be talking to an engineer to see if the work can be done in the winter.
But, he added, the town will check with dog owners first to see when would be a good time for the park to be closed.
“If people are using the park, we don’t want to shut it down,” he said. “That’s part of the process of working with everybody.”
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.