By Patricia Warble

May 18, 2022: An initiative has been going on at the Alfredo Field, also known as the “dog park” for the past three years. The dog park is a three acre parcel of land located across from the Cottle School. It is a wonderful space where dogs can play and owners can connect with old and new friends.

Three years ago Ben Lentz retired from the practice of law and within a month of that decision found himself looking for projects to do. The Lentzes had brought their dogs, Cookie and Dexter, to the dog park and they live close to the Alfredo Property so Ben did not have to look far for a project. The Alfredo Property was a special place, but it needed a caring person who had the time and interest to begin a reclamation and beautification project. Ben Lentz was that person.

Around the same time, Willem Bender, a student at Bronxville High School, was looking for a community service project necessary to become an Eagle Scout. He and his family take their dog, Wantney, to the dog park. They thought that the area could use some benches so that people could have a place to sit while enjoying the park. Willem and Ben became a team and they started to transplant trees and shrubs from the forest area just north of the park to the perimeter of the park where the transplanted trees and shrubs would receive more sunlight.

Another “dog park” regular, Patty Warble, invited her friend Maureen Hackett, a noted landscape architect, to visit the property and make some suggestions on how to improve the area. Her suggestion was to put more trees near the middle of the park to improve the overall look of the space. By spring, the Willem and Ben team began transplanting trees from the forest area to the open areas of the dog park and along Archer Place.

When Willem and Ben put their sights on some of the bigger trees, they enlisted the support of Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin, Village Administrator Jim Palmer, and Victor Lema from the Bronxville Department of Public Works (DPW). The DPW arrived with their backhoe and excavated a few trees, carried them on the backhoe to the middle of the park and helped plant the trees in their new home. Further, with the benefit of donations, more trees were purchased from nurseries and transplanted into the field. All together, dozens of trees were planted in the dog park and along its perimeter.

Meanwhile, Willem’s Eagle Scout community service plan was approved by both the Village and local Boy Scout troop. Willem began building benches for the park. Another family donated a memorial bench. Willem also enlisted the help of his Boy Scout troop and their families to do clean-up days and help with gardening in the park. Willem was awarded his Eagle Scout Badge on Memorial Day Weekend, 2021.

Many other residents of the surrounding communities of Bronxville, Eastchester and Tuckahoe joined in the efforts to beautify and improve the field/dog park. Some donated flowers to be transplanted, and one person arranged for her gardeners to transplant trees and bushes.

One particular donation that many people enjoy are the lilac bushes and their amazing fragrance. One neighbor, Dennis Mulvihill Shafer, has arranged for community service projects by students from the the Bronxville Middle School at the park. They have planted bulbs and shrubs, and have improved the mosaic floors underneath the wood benches. Andy Bender, Willem’s father, has contributed with his chainsaw skills. Several dead trees have been removed, with the logs placed alongside Crawford Street to be used by local residents for firewood. Andy, Ben and Willem cleared a large area for the the Bronxville Green Committee to design, create and maintain a pollinator garden along the west side of the park.

This new garden is part of Pollinator Pathways, a nationwide project to create pollinator habitats, so pollinators can travel and find food over larger areas, which helps with biodiversity and survival rates. Another pollinator garden was designed by Maddy Mignone, a retired biology professor, on the east side of the park. She is also teaching a pollinator course at the park that is offered by the Bronxville Adult School.

Currently, another Boy Scout, John Rizzo, is working with Ben and an Eastchester resident, Lynne Richy, to design and plant a pollinator garden at the corner of Crawford Avenue and Archer Place for his community service project to become an Eagle Scout. The DPW has supported this proposal by depositing truckloads of topsoil that is needed to reclaim the area where John wants to plant.

In addition, many residents contributed to a GoFundMe page (Friends of Bronxville Dog Park, https://gofund.me/83f71c1e) which is active again and accepting donations so that more flowers, shrubs and bushes can be purchased. Last year as a result of the generosity of the “friends' ' of the Bronxville Dog Park, many trees and shrubs were purchased and planted, including two split leaf Maple trees, red twig dogwoods, a magnolia tree, an oak tree and several hydrangeas.

What makes this initiative so special is that it is a cooperative project between local government, specifically the DPW, who has played a critical role in this endeavor by continuing to drop off soil and mulch; school children; organizations like the Boy Scouts and the Bronxville Green committee; and private citizens.

All of these efforts have combined to transform the Alfredo Property into a beautiful, bucolic space. All are invited to visit the property, with or without a furry friend.