PARK SLOPE — Prospect Park's Dog Beach is getting groomed.
The city's Parks Department plans to make over the popular canine hangout, reconstructing the waterfront area and creating more space for owners to relax while their pooches splash about, DNAinfo New York has learned.
The agency won approval from the city's Public Design Commission last week to renovate parts of the Brooklyn park. As part of the redesign, the beach will be constructed of granite slabs at various elevations, according to the Parks Department. The beach will also get new seating for owners and the general public, the agency told DNAinfo.
The Dog Beach, which runs along the Upper Pool at the south end of Prospect Park's Long Meadow, was created in 1998 as a test to provide pets a place to cool off while still protecting the wildlife. The Parks Department said the spot has proven so successful "that it was decided the location be formalized and a better beach created."
The agency said the reconstruction will include a new low-scale stainless steel fence separating the dogs from birds that enjoy the water.
The reconstruction will also include a makeover of two ball fields in the south section of Long Meadow. The fields will get enlarged dugouts, new lighting and a new hillside for public seating.
The Parks Department said the dog beach and the ball fields will be closed during construction. The agency said it couldn't provide further details, including the start date for construction, because it hasn't picked a contractor yet.
Therese Relucio, a spokeswoman for Park Slope for Pets, said she didn't know about the upcoming reconstruction.
She said her group didn't think there was anything wrong with the beach but welcomed the upgrade if it makes the area safer for dogs and more comfortable for their human companions.
"If they are adding more seating, that’s always a plus," said Relucio, whose group acts as an online community for neighborhood pet owners. "As long as it’s better for the community as a whole, I don’t see any issue with it."
Relucio said one of the concerns for her group was the discovery in September of toxic algae in Prospect Park's lake that can harmful to dogs. She hoped that the reconstruction would include a filtering system to keep pooches safe.
The Parks Department did not immediately respond when asked about the possibility of a filtration system.
