Renovation

Elaine, our advocate at Parks, will get us copies as soon as possible.

New surface, new drain area, double fencing (an inner layer of fence with plants between you and the spectators), water for the little run.

Yes.

No. It's smaller so that the very few dogs that got gravel in their paws won't have a problem.

No. It is much deeper, with small gravel on top of large gravel. That way it won't wear thin and will drain better.

Better drainage. Fewer puddles when it rains. Less dust when it's dry. Less smelly. Less maintenance. No more enslavement to chips. No stick fights. No intestinal punctures from chips.

103rd and Riverside.

They were skeptical at first, but now they like it.

No, but it will be a lot better than the dust situation we have now.

The current wood chip surface was installed before people knew much about dog runs and their attendant soil compaction problems. The woodchips have added about an inch a year to the surface of the run. It has formed a hard, concrete-like crust that makes it hard for water to go through. That's why during cleanups we always try to break up the crust.

The trees mainly benefit from the fencing redesign. The trees near the perimeter will be fenced into the edges. There may be a double fence between the small and big dog runs. Both those areas will give the trees some untrampled soil to breathe and drink. Their more distant roots will get to soak up the water that will flow through the gravel faster than the wood chip crust.

Talk to us and we can get you in touch with the Parks Department. If there is a mass rejection of the idea of gravel, we may have some leverage. Currently it is the Parks Department's policy to change the surfaces of all the runs in the city to gravel. And keep in mind that the current surface isn't great and if we complain to Parks we'd have to come up with a feasible alternative.