Dog run at Bed Stuy park closes temporarily due to possible soil contamination
The department said the rest of the park is not at risk of exposure. They extended off-leash hours inside the park before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
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The dog days of summer appear to be over for some furry friends in Bed Stuy, because the dog run at Herbert Von King Park is now closed.
"It's a bummer," said Jen Frodsham, a dog owner. "We come here every single day."
"It is exhausting because there isn't really another option for dog parks in the area," said Merone Tesfaye, another dog owner. "We actually even moved to be near this."
The NYC Parks Department said they closed the dog run temporarily as a precaution because routine soil testing showed potential contamination.
News 12 found the area locked on Monday yet loaded with empty liquor bottles.
A parks department spokesperson told News 12 that it is too early to tell exactly when the dog run will reopen, but they anticipate completing the full remediation necessary to reopen it as part of the existing capital project, which is expected to begin construction in Fall 2027.
The spokesperson added that they should have a better idea of the timeline later on in the process.
"It's a little too long," said Frodsham.
The department said the rest of the park is not at risk of exposure. They extended off-leash hours inside the park before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
But some dog owners say this doesn't work for them.
"In the middle of the day, there's not much we can do," said Frodsham.
"I've gotten enough tickets with non-off-leash hours that I try to, kind of, avoid," said Chris, another dog owner.
"My dog doesn't have recall yet," said Tesfaye. "He's pretty young, so that's not really an option for us. We need the gated area."
News 12 reached out to the NYC Department of Health multiple times since last week. A spokesperson said they're working to get information, but as of this report, the details have not been provided.
