Work Finally Begins On New Dog Run For Prospect Park Parade Ground
PROSPECT PARK – Approximately 20,000 dogs live in the Kensington, Ditmas Park, Flatbush, Midwood, and Windsor Terrace neighborhoods, the Prospect Park Alliance says. To accommodate these pooches and their pet parents, a new $405,000 dog run will be built at the park’s Parade Ground along Coney Island Avenue.
On Monday, Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue, Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner Marty Maher, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and Council Members Brad Lander and Mathieu Eugene broke ground at the site of the new Kensington Dog Run.
The 7,000-square-foot fenced-in space will feature two separate sections—one for large dogs and one for small dogs—as well as a canine-friendly turf consisting of a porous backing that will allow rain and dog waste to drain through. The turf includes an antimicrobial agent in its fibers to minimize the need for detergents or deodorizers. Prospect Park will be the first NYC park to have the low-maintenance turf installed in a dog run.
For the people visiting the space, the Kensington Dog Run will offer benches made of reclaimed wood from fallen park trees, new trash receptacles, water fountains, and tree plantings as well as “dog waste-resistant shrubs,” according to the Prospect Park Alliance release announcing the new canine hub. The project was funded by Borough President Adams and Council Members Lander and Eugene. The Kensington Dog Run is scheduled to be completed by Summer 2020.
Local groups have been petitioning for the dog run for years, with designs for the space first being revealed in 2017.
“Prospect Park Alliance is excited to create this new amenity for the benefit of our four-legged friends and our community,” Sue Donoghue, President of Prospect Park Alliance, said in a statement. “As a dog parent myself, I look forward to having this great new space where dogs and neighbors can come to exercise and mingle.”
Other areas of Prospect Park that dogs can enjoy leash-free include the Long Meadow (except the ballfields), Nethermead, the Peninsula, and Dog Beach. Note: off-leash hours are 5am to 9am and 9pm to 1am. Learn more at prospectpark.org.