The recent rains took their toll on Duboce Park. For more than two weeks, two sections of the park's multi-use area have been fenced off, to prevent more damage to the oversaturated, muddy grass.
"We put signs in those areas to deter significant damage," Rec & Park spokesperson Joey Kahn tells us, noting that the department will reevaluate the damage on Thursday and decide whether or not to reopen the areas.
Until then, parkgoers with dogs are advised to refrain from off-leash use in the marked areas, until conditions dry out.
In their latest newsletter, the Friends of Duboce Park also note some recent improvements to the park. New sod has been placed near the Potomac Street benches on the park's north side, and in November, volunteers removed some trees in the playground and a bush in the planting triangle between the basketball court and children’s playground, replacing them with six new plants.
In collaboration with Rec & Park, the Friends of Duboce Park are also working to repaint the playground equipment and replace two rusting perforated metal staircases, to prevent safety issues from sharp edges. The work will be funded by proceeds from its annual tag sale.
However, the organization reports that vandalism "remains a constant problem," despite Rec & Park's best efforts to ameliorate issues. For example, the bulletin board near the playground now bears a sign informing visitors that it was vandalized in December. Someone removed the board's lock and all of its content, which has since been replaced.
For updates about the park, you can subscribe to Friends of Duboce Park's monthly newsletter.