Calling All Animal Lovers in South Orange and Maplewood
Just for clarification, doesn't the PFA proposal call for use of the facility for a seven-day holding period before transfer elsewhere, rather than a full-fledged "no-kill refuge"? I believe that is what was reported elsewhere.
Yes, animals would only be held for the 7 day holding period at 298 Walton Avenue, and then transferred to no-kill shelters and rescues outside of our county.
Some yearss ago we found a rather nice young dog that was picked up by animal control. We asked when the dog would be available and were told there's a 10 day holding period before an animal is available for adoption.
Would the 7 day period referenced above be in addition? Instead of?
The 7 day hold is NJ State Law: b. If an animal taken into custody and impounded pursuant to subsection a. of this section has a collar or harness with identification of the name and address of any person, or has a registration tag, or has a microchip with an identification number that can be traced to the owner or person charged with the care of the animal, or the owner or the person charged with the care of the animal is otherwise known, the certified animal control officer shall ascertain the name and address of the owner or the person charged with the care of the animal, and serve to the identified person as soon as practicable, a notice in writing that the animal has been seized and will be liable to be offered for adoption or euthanized if not claimed within seven days after the service of the notice. http://www.state.nj.us/health/animalwelfare/law.shtml
Please, no animal shelter of any kind in our residential neighborhood.
Nothing against People For Animals, but look up their three other locations on Google maps to see what kinds of areas they're in.
Here are screen caps of the street views: does this look at all like your town? I plan to be at the meeting Thursday in support of a better option for the whole community.
There are homes on Norman Place in Hillside just a block away from PfA. The biggest concern, as I understand it, from the neighbors of 298 Walton is noise. PfA will offer minimal shelter services, and neighbors will be troubled far, far less by dogs barking. JAC sheltered far too many dogs in inappropriate conditions like stacked crates. PfA is sensitive to the concerns of the neighborhood and would operate very differently.
What is the current procedure for dealing with lost animals and how does it differ from what is being proposed?
St. Hubert's in Madison is under contract with Maplewood to handle its animal control issues. St. Hubert's will pick up stray animals, hold them for seven days, then put them up for adoption, if appropriate. This service is costing Maplewood approximately $70,000/year. I do not know how many strays have been picked up this year, but it has been my understanding that Maplewood does not have a large stray animal problem.
In South Orange, people call the ACO, and she deals with the animal. At one point, she was sending dogs to a kennel several miles west of here.
In theory, this is how it works. In reality, there are rescues around town that are deeply involved in helping strays as well and would, I'm sure, continue to provide services for needy animals.
If PfA were to take on the job of administering the seven day hold for strays at the 298 Walton facility, it would mean that residents of SOMa would have much more convenient access to their runaway animals. It would also provide an opportunity for Maplewood and South Orange to share costs. PfA is the sponsor for South Orange's feral cat ordinance and, in addition, helps a great deal with the inevitable spring kitten season. They rescue feral kittens, and when the kittens are old enough, send them to rescue organizations that adopt them out.
Elle_Cee said:
There are homes on Norman Place in Hillside just a block away from PfA. The biggest concern, as I understand it, from the neighbors of 298 Walton is noise. PfA will offer minimal shelter services, and neighbors will be troubled far, far less by dogs barking. JAC sheltered far too many dogs in inappropriate conditions like stacked crates. PfA is sensitive to the concerns of the neighborhood and would operate very differently.
There's also a tire shop, a truck repair shop, a gas station, a post office, a lab, two small factories and a print shop.
Here's how the homes on Norman Place are situated. Again, nothing like our neighborhood and I don't think you'd imagine your neighborhood this way either.
Just a few minutes further southeast from PfA in Hillside are multiple homes on Leslie Street. The intersection of Leslie and Hillside Ave. is about a three minute walk from PfA. The neighborhood is mixed residential and commercial.
But that's exactly my point. The Walton/Farrell Field neighborhood is not mixed use.
[edited to add] Zillow shows a cloud of foreclosure properties in that neighborhood. Most of those listed are under $250K. Many are under $200K.
Again, not at all like our neighborhood.
The Walton/Farrell Field location is public property. I believe there's a water pumping station across from 298 Walton. Houses on my street, by the way, are located within a three minute walk of the commercial properties of downtown Maplewood.
Thank you Elle_Cee for the information.
We live a block from the site. The noise under the previous tenants was constant 24/7. I would be opposed to bringing animals back onto the property. I certainly do love animals but this site is not appropriate for this use.
I urge you to visit the PfA site in Hillside. It is not noisy. Again, this is a different organization, run in a much more professional manner. The building at 298 Walton was constructed to house animals, it was built through a public/private partnership, with many private donors contributing to its construction. It seems to me an issue of basic fairness to return it, in some way, to its originally intended purpose -- that is, to help animals.
Except the neighborhood fought bitterly against putting it there in the first place. And after a great deal of struggle and harassment they lost their battle, and the shelter went in. All the things they feared came true -- and more.
To summarize:
- a shelter was proposed for a residential neighborhood;
- the neighbors vigorously protested;
- it was forced in anyway;
- it was a disaster;
- the health department had to shut it down.
Is it "basic fairness" to build another one on the same spot?
We think basic fairness would be to respect the neighborhood's wishes this time.
Elle_Cee said:
The Walton/Farrell Field location is public property. I believe there's a water pumping station across from 298 Walton. Houses on my street, by the way, are located within a three minute walk of the commercial properties of downtown Maplewood.
Certainly you don't mean to imply that living three minutes from one of the top-rated restaurants in NJ, several interesting galleries and boutiques, a quality supermarket, pricey salons, coffee shops and bakeries, the express train to Manhattan, and a movie theater is just like living three minutes from an animal shelter?
Of course not, but if there were an animal shelter within a three minute walk to downtown Maplewood, I would applaud our town's progressive and compassionate attitude toward animals. As it stands, 298 Walton is about a ten minute walk away from downtown.
You can be compassionate towards animals even while being compassionate towards your fellow residents. Find a place that's not in a residential neighborhood. Two of the other towns did.
Animal advocates have shown compassion toward the residents who live near 298 Walton by campaigning for PfA, rather than a traditional animal shelter. Many local animal advocates would have preferred that 298 Walton, designed to shelter animals and constructed in part with funds raised by animal advocates, returned to being a full service shelter. However, there was concern and understanding that neighbors in the vicinity of the shelter had been troubled by noise and other issues relating to the animals. We keep trying to allay residents' concerns by pointing out that minimal sheltering will go on, as well as emphasizing PfA's professionalism and concern for the neighborhood.
CALLING ALL ANIMAL LOVERS IN SOUTH ORANGE AND MAPLEWOOD! Please join us at the community meeting this coming Thursday, December 1st at 7:30PM at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, where we will be a voice for local animals by advocating for a safe, no-kill rescue to house homeless pets in our community as they await their forever homes.
The meeting will consist of a final discussion surrounding the repurposing of the former Jersey Animal Coalition (JAC) building on Walton Avenue. People for Animals (PFA), an independent nonprofit animal welfare organization founded in 1980 with the first Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic in New Jersey, has bid on the JAC building. PFA would provide a no-kill refuge for animals in our community, and continue their highly regarded, life-saving mission by using the building the way in which it was intended. For more information about PFA, you can visit their website: https://www.pfaonline.org/
Please help us get the word out about this meeting as it will be our very last chance to advocate on behalf of our community's pets! We hope to see you there!
Questions? Please feel free to e-mail us at somaforanimals@gmail.com