The dog run at Herbert Von King Park in Bed-Stuy has been temporarily closed after routine soil testing identified potential contamination. NYC Parks has restricted access to the fenced-in area while plans for remediation move forward, according to News 12 Brooklyn.
The closure is precautionary and applies only to the dog run. According to NYC Parks, the rest of the park is not at risk of exposure and remains open. However, a reopening date for the dog park remains uncertain.
The department has extended off-leash hours in the park to before 9:00am and after 9:00pm to give dog owners an alternative, but some dog owners have said the expanded hours do not provide a practical replacement, particularly for those whose dogs are too young or have not developed reliable recall.
“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 temporary closure comes as the park's dog run is already slated for improvements. A multi-million-dollar capital project was announced, calling for a full reconstruction of the dog run, including upgraded turf designed to improve drainage and reduce maintenance issues.
For now, dog owners can use the park during the expanded off-leash hours, although those hours do not provide the same access as the fenced-in run. Outside the designated hours, dogs must remain leashed.
NYC Parks said it expects to have a clearer timeline for reopening as the remediation process progresses. The city Department of Health has also been contacted for more information about the potential contamination, but details about the testing results had not been provided as of the latest report.
