Hillside News

Mayor Bloomberg Holds Press Conference at Hillside

On August 3rd, 2008, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Parks Department Commissioner Adrian Benepe, and Health Department Commissioner Tom Frieden held a press conference at Hillside Dog Park to announce that the Health Department has created and deployed a new dog licensing and renewal system online.

Also joining the press conference were Animal Care and Control Executive Director Charlene Pedrolie, and our own Friends of Hillside Dog Park President Matthew Parker (who also represented the New York Council of Dog Owner Groups--NYCdog.org.)

You can download the official press release here (MS Word format). And you can view photos of the event in the Friends of Hillside Dog Park Yahoo! Discussion Group

Visit www.nyc.gov/doglicense to use the new online license system.

Water Fountain Installation Progress at Hillside
The contractors have been working to get the two new human/dog water fountains installed and operational before the hot weather is upon us. As of mid-May, 2007, the two fountains have been installed, concrete poured, and we're probably about a week away from being able to use the new fountains.

Additionally, a water hydrant will be installed along the BQE fence, and a small flower garden is being constructed at the corner of Columbia Heights and Vine Street. The park will also be encircled by cribbing to prevent the woodchips from falling into the surrounding streets.

Park Dept. Codifies Off-leash Hours Policy
After 20 years as a successful "courtesy policy," the NYC Parks Department codified the limited Off-leash Hours policy. New Parks amendments also require all dogs that visit official enclosed runs to be licensed and vaccinated against rabies.

Read complete info at: www.NYCoffleash.com
Visit the Parks Department's new webpage outlining the rules for dogs in NYC Parks.

Successful Park Cleanup Held January 13th, 2007
Thank you to the volunteers who helped with the big Hillside Mid-Winter Cleanup
yesterday. There was a lot of litter to remove and chips to spread.

The Park looks great.

We'll request some more chips to fill in a few areas that we couldn't cover
because we ran out of wood chips.

Temporary Construction Fence Taken Down at Hillside
(December 27, 2006). This morning, the Parks contractors returned to remove the temporary fencing that had been erected as a safety precaution during the installation of the underground pipes which will supply the water fountains yet to be installed. Hillsiders now have use of the entire dog park once again!

Next steps: The contractors will return in a few weeks to install the fountains once the hardware is delivered from the manufacturer. At that time, the small fenced flower garden will be installed in the park at the corner of Columbia Heights and Vine Street. Planting will take place in the Spring. Along the BQE fence, the dead trees will be removed and new trees will be planted in the Spring once the water hydrant is installed. The contractors will also finish aligning the double doors. The contractor will also be installing "cribbing" around the dog park on the Vine Street side to prevent the wood chips from falling into the street and washing down the hill.

New Info: We'll be getting two fountains and a hydrant. One fountain will be installed up by the water valve box, the other by the Vine Street fence. The hydrant will be installed along the BQE fence.

Cleanup this weekend: Now that the fence has come down, we'll schedule a volunteer cleanup this weekend to remove debris. If the Parks Department delivers wood chips in time, we'll also be able to cover over some of the areas of dirt that from the trenching and the heavy use while the fence was up.

NYC Health Board Amends "Leash Law"
(December 5, 2006) The NYC Health Board voted unanimously to amend Section 161.05 of the Health Code, commonly known as the "Leash Law", to explicitly grant the NYC Parks commissioner authority to promulgate limited policies over dogs off-leash in New York City Parks. This change comes 6 days after a New York State Supreme Court judge declared that the Parks Department's 20-year official, but unwritten, 9pm-9am Off-leash "courtesy hours" policy has been and continues to be legal and permitted to the Parks commissioner under existing laws and regulations. For more information on the Health Code amendment, visit www.NYCoffleash.com.

Offleash Hours Policy Legal Victory in NYS Supreme Court
(November 30, 2006) The State Supreme Court judge in the Juniper Park Civic Association vs. NYC Parks Dept. lawsuit issued a ruling today, exactly 3 months after hearing oral arguments. The ruling was distributed to the Parks Department, the JPCA and the New York Council of Dog Owner Groups (NYCdog) at around 10am this morning.

In a nutshell, the judge rejected the JPCA's assertion that the Parks Commissioner has illegally been promulgating the Offleash Hours policy for over 20 years. The judge ruled that the existing law gives the discretionary authority to the Parks Commissioner to allow Offleash Hours in NYC parks.

The NYCoffleash.com website provides a link to the judge's complete written opinion so you can read it yourself.

Today is a big win, but the battle isn't over. Next Tuesday on December 5th, the NYC Health Board will be voting to amend the "Leash Law" to further strengthen the Offleash Hours policy. Even though the judge in today's NYS Supreme Court case ruled that the Parks Commissioner has authority for Offleash, the Health Board next week will seek to amend the Health Code to explicitly grant that power to the Parks Commissioner.

But we're not over after December 5th! The Parks Department will soon thereafter begin a 90-120 day process much like the Health Department is completing on Dec 5th to amend the Parks regulations to explicitly encode Offleash Hours.

Ironically, the nightmare of the JPCA's lawsuit seeking to end the Offleash Hours policy looks like it's going to result in the successful 20-year Offleash Hours policy being formally encoded, and being made more "official". The Health and Parks code changes will mean better signage, more public education of Offleash Hours, explicit info on the Parks website, and better enforcement of licensing and vaccination. It will encourage responsible dog ownership.

Thank you so much to everyone who signed petitions, wrote letters to the Health Board, donated money to NYCdog (www.nycoffleash.com) if you still wish to donate (NYCdog's coffers have been depleted). The huge public response helps give political cover for the Health and Parks department to amend their own regulations and to improve the policy going forward.

Please also remember as responsible dog owners, with privileges come responsibilities. Ask your local Offleash Hours groups for the rules and maps for your local Offleash Hours park. If you go to Prospect Park, visit the FIDO in Prospect Park Website at www.fidobrooklyn.com.

You'll probably start seeing a lot about this issue in the press regarding today's legal decision and the Health Board vote next week.

AM NY has a good article about the Supreme Court ruling on their website, as well as an online poll. Please vote!.

New Phase of Hillside Improvement Project Begins: Water Fountain Installation

The Parks contractors returned November 15th 2006 to complete the final two double doors on Vine Street.

Now comes the water fountains!

The contractors have installed a temporary tall fence that runs diagonally across Hillside Park from Vine Street, to about halfway along the BQE side.

For the next 2-3 weeks, the two Columbia Heights entrances to the park will be closed. Everyone should enter the Park using the two new entrances on Vine Street. One of those entrances goes into the general dog park area, the other entrance goes directly into the small dog area.

The contractors will begin to dig two trenches across Hillside to lay the pipe that will connect two water fountains with the water main that runs down Columbia Heights. One fountain/hydrant will be installed along the Vine Street fence, the other will be installed
along the BQE fence.

This is why they are fencing off the park--it would not be safe to have people or dogs running around the trenches or the heavy machinery the contractors use to dig the trenches.

There will still be plenty of seating (3 picnic tables and 2 circular benches) during this phase of the park improvement project, though we'll have considerably less space. A small price to pay for a few weeks so that we'll have two water fountains next year! And certainly much better than having to close the park completely while the contractors lay the pipe and install the fountains.

Some more good news, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) finally approved tapping into the water main on Columbia Heights so that the contractors can turn the water on once they've laid the pipe and installed the fountains. However, because winter is fast approaching, they will only turn the water on for testing, then turn it off for the winter months, turning it on again when Spring comes.

We also should be getting a garden installed, which was on the original renovation plans, though the construction supervisor I spoke with this morning didn't know about the garden, he was only there for the fountain installation.

The same supervisor thought it would take about 2 weeks for the trench work to be completed. He also said that despite previous info to the contrary, the two fountains had not yet been ordered from the manufacturer. He said that it takes approximately 2-3 weeks for the fountain hardware to be manufactured and shipped.

2nd Annual Dog Halloween Parade Extravaganza

Again this year, our friends at Perfect Paws (at 102 Hicks St.) are organizing the "2nd Annual Halloween Parade and Costume Extravaganza" on Sunday, October 29th at 3:30pm.

All proceeds will go to Friends of Hillside Dog Park and the Brooklyn Animal Rescue Coalition (BARC).

Here's the details:

Come over to Perfect Paws and register your pet for the 2nd annual Brooklyn Heights/DUMBO Halloween Parade and Costume Extravaganza! Or, if DUMBO is more convenient, stop by 30 Main Street and visit the front desk.

This year, the Heights and DUMBO are embarking on a new tradition. We're coming together for one big party!

There will be TWO starting points, one at the Remsen St. entrance to the promenade, and the other by the flagpole at Brooklyn Bridge Park's entrance. (Water St. @ Plymouth)

From there, the two groups will parade a short 5 blocks, meeting at Hillside Dog Run AND its next door neighbor, Harry Chapin Playground.

Prizes will be awarded for best costume (large and small dogs,) best costume (cat,) best store-bought costume, best homemade costume, most original, best owner/dog duo (adult and child), and more!

Pets must be pre-registered at Perfect Paws (102 Hicks St.) or at the Sweeney Building (30 Main Street, front desk).

The first 100 entries will receive Halloween goody bags. Entry fee/donation is a minimum $10 per pet and all proceeds go to Hillside Dog Run and BARC. We will also donate a portion of the proceeds from any costume purchased at Perfect Paws.

If you're planning to enter your child, or even yourself, just show up at 3:30 at either starting point and we'll sign you up for free!

Construction Work on Hillside Has Begun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The long-awaited construction project began this morning (Saturday, Sept 30, 2006).

There's a crew of contractors at Hillside working to lay the foundations of the doggie/human water fountain (it will be along the Vine Street fence), and also digging to lay the foundations for the double doors on one of the Columbia Heights entrances.

The contractors have planned the project so that we'll still be able to enjoy use of the dog park and they will only need to close/fence off certain parts of the park as they work in phases.

The phase with the most impact to dog owners occurs when the contractors dig the trenches to lay the piping for the water fountain/hydrant. About 2/3 of the park will be fenced off for that
phase of the project.

Please allow the contractors to work effectively and safely by keeping a close eye on your dog during the construction. Even though there's tempoarary plastic fencing up, the workers go in and out. There's also construction equipment being used, so please make sure your dog doesn't get close to the contractors or their equipment, for your dog's safety.

Depending on weather, the entire project could take about 4-6 weeks .

We're gonna have water fountains for humans and dogs, double doors, a new entrance directly from Vine St. into the small dog area, and a lovely small fenced community garden!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Are Those Mushrooms Growing in the Dog Park?

You've probably noticed the reddish/pink mushrooms growing in various spots around the dog park.

These appear to be the "Elegant Stinkhorn" mushroom (Mutinus elegans) --a non-poinsonous mushroom that grows in mulch (like our woodchips), and is common in this area from July into the Fall.

Click here for more information about the Elegant Stinkhorn (got to love the name).

New Phase Begins in Offleash Hours Battle

Sept 26, 2006

Hillsiders: As you've been following here, the Parks Department has been sued by a Queens Civic Association to end the 20-year policy of 9pm-9am Offleash Hours in locations like Prospect Park, Cadman Plaza Park, Central Park, Ft. Greene Park, and many other NYC parks.

A judge heard oral arguments in this case on Aug 29 and a ruling has been expected sometime in the fall. However, the City announced at the Aug 29 court date that it would begin to pursue a process to amend the so-called "Leash Law" (which is actually a Health Dept. regulation and not a law passed by the City Council). Such an amendment would render any legal judgement moot.

The first public step in that process occured on Tuesday Sept 26th at the Health Dept as described in the following news article (which is refreshingly accurate, for a change). The New York Council of Dog Owner Groups (NYCdog), the umbrella organization of most NYC dog parks and Offleash Hours areas was in attendance today and is quoted in the article. Hillside is an active member of NYCdog. Visit www.nycoffeash.com for more information about what's happened up to this point.

Click here for the A.M. NY news article

Water Project and Other Renovation Work to Begin Soon

This afternoon (Monday, Sept 18th), the Parks Department had a meeting with the contractor who will be performing the work on Hillside. I was in attendance as well.

The good news:

1) More money than before has been allocated to the project which means as work begins, certain other problems that now exist in the park (such as poor drainage near the circular benches) may be addressed.

2) After impressing upon both Parks and the contractor how many people use Hillside a week, and how important it will be to limit park closure, they came up with a plan to perform the renovation intwo stages, closing half of the park at a time. This means there probably will not be a complete closure of the dog park during the renovation. The contractor will probably put up a temporary fence to block off the areas where work is being performed, basically
splitting the park into two. They seem to think that the work can be performed within a ten to fourteen day period, weather permitting.

3) There's really no bad news (at least not yet).

The only thing that will hold up the project at this point is the need to prune most of the trees in the park. Apparently it's a recent Parks Department directive that any park which is being
renovated must have its trees pruned prior to work beginning. (I'm assuming so that trucks won't damage low hanging branches as much.)

So for the contractor to begin work, first, Parks has to schedule time for the tree pruning. The Parks Dept does the tree pruning.

The Parks Dept.'s Brooklyn operations manager was in attendance at the meeting, and he will be getting back to me over the next few days with actual dates when things will begin to happen. I'll post new info to the discussion group as soon as I hear anything.

Please post any questions to the discussion group.

Matthew Parker
Friends of Hillside Dog Park

Offleash Lawsuit Heard Before Judge Kelly in State Supreme Court, a Ruling is Forthcoming

August 29th. State Supreme Court Judge Peter J. Kelly today heard oral arguments in the case of Juniper Park Civic Association v. NYC Department of Parks over the 20-year policy of the 9pm-9am dog offleash courtesy hours.

For complete coverage of the case, including downloadable court documents, visit NYCoffleash.com

New York Council of Dog Owners Groups Creates Amicus Curiae Brief for Queens Supreme Court Supporting NYC Parks Dept Policy of 9pm-9am Offleash Privleges

June 27, 2006. Today is a big day for the future of offleash in NYC. As you've been reading here for the past few months and might have seen in the local papers and on TV, a neighborhood civic association in Middle Village, Queens is suing the NYC Parks Dept over its 20 year policy of allowing dogs to be offleash in certain areas of certain parks from 9pm-9am.

In response to this threat against a much loved and cherished policy towards dogs and dog owners, the New York Council of Dog Owners Groups (NYCdog), created an Amicus Curiae ("Friend of the Court") brief in support of continuation of the existing policy and showing that the policy is a) legal, and b) has proven itself to be greatly beneficial to the half million tax paying dog owners and their pets.

Friends of Hillside Dog Park is a contributing and active member of NYCdog and one of Hillside's board members sits on the NYCdog board of directors.

In the Files section of the Hillside Dog Park discussion group you'll also find the Order to Show cause from the Plaintiffs in this case, the Juniper Park Civic Association, which was previously filed with the court a few months ago. The Amicus brief seeks to debunk the arguments put forward by the Juniper Park people as to why the 20 year policy of park offleash should be ended.

There probably won't be a outcome to the Supreme Court hearing today, but this site will be updated as developments occur..

Thanks to everyone who has signed the online petition to continue the offleash policy. If you haven't yet signed the petition, you can do so here.

Let's hope the judge sees things our way and supports a policy that has helped the vast majority of New Yorkers, dog owners and non-dog owners alike, for over 20 years..

Lawsuit Threatens Dog Offleash in NYC. Hearing at Queens Supreme Court June 27. Sign the Petition in Support of Offleash Rights now!!!

Hillsiders:

As you've been reading on this Website and in the newspapers, there's a serious threat to the twenty year old policy in NYC that allows dog owners during the 9pm-9am hours to have their dogs offleash in NYC parks including Prospect Park, Central Park, Ft. Greene Park, and many others.

The lawsuit brought by the Juniper Park Civic Association against the Parks Department seeking to end all offleash privleges is moving through the courts and has an important hearing on June 27th in Queens County Supreme Court.

According to the Parks Department General Counsel, who spoke June 12th at the NYCdog meeting in Manhattan, it's unknown if the judge hearing the case will consider ending 9-9 offleash in parks where it exists now, or actually seek to end all offleash in NYC--WHICH WOULD INCLUDE HILLSIDE DOG PARK and all other dog parks.

The time to act is now if you wish to save Park offleash hours and possibly your rights to dog parks like Hillside.

You can help by signing the following online petition which will be presented to the court during the public hearing phase of the lawsuit.

Click on the following link and tell the judge hearing the case that the taxpaying half million dog owners in NYC value offleash time for ourselves and our dogs:

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/OffleashPetition

After you've filled in the petition, you will receive an email asking you to confirm your info. You must click through on the link in the email for your name to be officially added to the petition.

These petitions are critically important to show the court that offleash is precious to a large number of New Yorkers and must be preserved. Please sign the online petition right now.

Successful Spring Clean Up, held Sunday, April 9, 2006

Thank you to all the volunteers at the Hillside cleanup. The park looks great, smells great (like fresh cedar, instead of dirt),and is safer for the dogs now that all the litter has been removed.

And thanks to the Parks Department for a just in time Sunday delivery of another truckload of wood chips.

We'll be scheduling more regular park cleanups from here on, approximately one every 3-4 months.

Meeting with Parks about Water
and Other Hillside Initiatives: An Update

On Monday, April 3rd, 2006, I attended a scheduled meeting with representatives of the Parks Department to discuss several initiatives for Hillside. I was expecting to meet with two representatives, but much to my delight, six people showed up, including an outside contractor, and three operations people. They arrived with blueprints and began discussing the water fountain and double door projects that Friends of Hillside Dog Park has been requesting for a number of years.

Bottom line: It appears that Hillside will be getting two water sources installed soon — possibly by late June or early July. The Parks Department outside contractor put in the order yesterday for one fountain, to be installed between the current entrances on Columbia Heights, and for one "hydrant" that will be installed by the fence bordering the BQE. They said it takes 8-12 weeks for the hardware to be delivered.

The fountain will be the same type that's currently installed at the Palmetto Dog Run on State Street. It will have a water fountain at human level for people to drink, a water fountain at dog level for dogs, and a pan that can be filled with water from the dog fountain for dogs to drink who might not be at ease to drink from a fountain. The pan is on a hinge with a handle that allows someone to empty the water from the pan by lifting the handle to dump the water. There will also be a hose attachment to the fountain for cleaning and cooling down dogs in the hot weather.

The hydrant near the BQE will be for watering plants and possibly for hosing down dogs in the hot weather.

Additionally, Parks will be installing double doors on the two existing Columbia Heights entrances. This is welcome news, because as some folks have witnessed, from time to time dogs dart out of the dog run when a new person enters or exists, and could run into oncoming traffic. At least once in previous years this situation ended in a dog fatality. Double doors will help prevent this. The double door vestibules will have concrete floors and will be easy to
maneuver on entry and exit.

Two new entrances will be created and outfitted with double doors on Vine Street. One new door will be created right next to the existing large gate that was designed to allow vehicles into the park. Once that new entrance is completed, Parks will chain the existing large gate and only open it for trucks to deliver wood chips or for emergency service vehicles. The other new double door on Vine Street will enter directly into the small dog area, which will solve a problem for people who use the small dog area, but are now forced to walk across the large dog area to get there.

Another initiative Parks is planning will be to create a small garden, protected by a fence, near where the garbage pails are currently located alongside the intersection of Columbia Heights with Vine Street. It won't be a large garden—approximately 15 feet wide by 25 feet wide.

Some in the community were never happy that Hillside was made an official dog run back in 2001. Some in the non-dog owning community don't see the beauty that many of us dog owners see in Hillside as one of the largest dog runs in NYC. Creating a small flower garden that will face Columbia Heights will help others who don't use Hillside as a dog run appreciate and more readily accept its role as a dog park that's more aesthetically pleasing that what currently
exists.

As many of us know, getting a water source and double doors installed has been something most Hillside users have been hoping for over the past few years, and there have been attempts in the past. This year, however, due to the hard work of those who have lobbied the Parks Department in the past, it now appears that the above mentioned work is in budget, and will happen.

I would like to thank all the past members and volunteers of Friends of Hillside Dog Park for their dedicated efforts. This wouldn't have happened without their work. We should also thank the members of the NYC Parks Department, who are going about these projects in a serious and professional manner.

Of course, nothing is ever a 100% sure thing until the work is finished, but based on my impression and also the impression of Kirsten Fisher, who also attended the meeting, it appears that this work will happen, and will happen in the next few months.

When the work does begin, Hillside will be closed to allow the new entrances and double doors to be installed and for a water line to be dug from Columbia Heights across the park to the BQE fence. Hopefully it will only take a week or so for the work to be completed. Right now, it appears that the work would take place in the late June/early July time period, but that could change based on when the fountain hardware is delivered and the contractor's schedule.

Queens Civic Group Reportedly Files Lawsuit Against the NYC Parks Department to Abolish 9pm - 9am Dog Off-leash Privileges in All NYC Parks.

May 5, 2006

****Note: If this lawsuit is successful it will eliminate the 9pm-9am dog off-leash privileges in all NYC parks that do not have official dog parks such as Prospect Park, Ft. Greene Park, and Central Park. If you love 9pm-9am off-leash privileges in NYC Parks, read the notice below to find out what you can do to help****

Below is the text of an email I received yesterday evening from the head of NYCdog, which is an umbrella organization of all the NYC dog parks and off-leash areas. Friends of Hillside Dog Park is a voting member of NYCdog. For more info on this important issue facing NYC dog owners, send an email to info@hillsidedogs.org

Matthew Parker, President, Friends of Hillside Dog Park, Inc.
_______________________________________________

Terri Sullivan [a NYCdog member and Queens resident trying to establish a dog park in Juniper Park] just came from a meeting of the Juniper Park Civic Association in Middle Village, Queens. They had about 125-150 people there including Councilperson Gallagher and NYS Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi. Both signed a petition against a dog park in Juniper Park.

At the same time, the head of the Civic Assoc. announced that the lawsuit against Parks and off-leash privileges HAS BEEN filed. Their attorney was there and announced that they would no longer speak about it as it is filed.

IT IS IMPORTANT AND VITAL that each of us have our group members dial 311 to voice support FOR off-leash dog rights. The mayor gets these reports. Thousands of calls to 311 from throughout the City would be noticed.

Letters, etc. are not enough. We have to mobilize phone calls to 311. Please spread the word to your groups and keep NYCdog informed.

An idea would be to have someone with free weekend calling stand at our runs and dog parks and ask people to call right then and there. This way we are assured of calls being made.

ADDITIONALLY... on Saturday, May 13 from 9 am - noon, the new Juniper Park dog owners assoc. is going to have a parks clean-up in the area in Juniper Park where they would like to have a dog park built.

If any of the NYCdog members can send 1-2 reps to be there at 10 am for 30-45 minutes, we could hold a press conference to support the idea of a dog park there.... and also against the lawsuit. IF YOU CAN ATTEND, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

The park is close to a subway station- we can go out together or meet there.

Thank you
Bob Marino, president
NYCdog