MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ —Residents of both South Orange and Maplewood packed the Baird Center at the South Orange Board of Trustees’ public forum June 17 to voice their opinions on what should be done with the former Jersey Animal Coalition building on Walton Avenue, but their ideas proved to be decidedly split between two concepts.
Numerous community members spoke passionately in favor of keeping the building, which is located at 298 Walton Ave., as an animal shelter — one that would be better managed than the JAC — that would prevent local animals from being taken to kill shelters, as they are currently. But just as many argued that the village-owned property should be used in a way that benefits all of South Orange.
The latter opinion, advocated largely by people who live in the immediate area of the building, was backed up by residents who said that the number of animals handled by village animal control officer Melanie Troncone did not warrant the use of the building to house them. According to deputy village administrator Adam Loehner, Troncone picks up one dog per month and five to seven cats per month that need sheltering.
Allison McInerney Bell said those numbers were far too low to consider using the building as a shelter, especially when it could be used more “creatively.” Bell said now is a perfect chance to turn the property into a space that could complement the village’s growth, such as a childcare facility, a senior citizen center or a new home for Village Hall.
“The size and the sheer space of this location suggest that we have other exciting opportunities for the community,” Bell said. “South Orange is growing and improving in many exciting ways, and I think an opportunity to represent that in this real estate opportunity is before us. I’d hate to lose that opportunity.”
Farrell Field Park Conservancy member Dan Hubscher agreed that 298 Walton Ave. would be a prime location for Village Hall, or at least some of its offices. Hubscher explained that the nearby River Greenway project makes the area feel like the center of town, and having the hall there would only enhance that centrality. Though he raised a few other community-focused ideas for the property, he urged the board to consider Village Hall as an anchor for the location and a possibly good tenant for its neighbors.
And Bell and Hubscher were not the only ones who felt that way. In fact, Ron Charles, an engineer, said it was his professional opinion that Village Hall would be a beneficial replacement at the JAC building for a number of reasons, starting with the fact it would be fiscally responsible of the village to save rent money by moving its hall to a property that it already owns. The building layout itself also is ideal for housing offices with all the utilities of a modern structure, Charles said, and its zoning allows for a second floor to be added for more room. Additionally, he pointed out that the government’s presence would remain downtown while also overlooking the Rahway River.
But even if Village Hall is not relocated to the property, many residents stressed that another shelter is not right for the neighborhood. Marisa Tamayo said the JAC was a “horrible” place to live near, pointing out that it took in more animals than it was allowed but turned away her own dog when it was hit by a car. It also let dogs bark outside late at night and left food outside for its cats, which she said attracted rats to the area. The JAC was subsequently shut down by the local and state health departments.
Citing her bad experiences and state statistics that most private shelters fail within 10 years, Tamayo said 298 Walton Ave. should not return to its original purpose.
“We have to think very strongly and clearly about where this is located,” Tamayo said. “Do we need a shelter? Sure. But not in that location.”
Barbara Canace, another Conservancy member, also brought up her concerns about putting in another shelter in case it turned out to be another like the JAC, which she believes was responsible for the stray cat problem and also brought in dogs from South Carolina. Canace said residents can work together to return lost dogs to their homes, while the property can be used in a way that incorporates the River Greenway project and benefits South Orange.
“We have so much potential,” Canace said. “I think that we have to look in a much broader way to see how to serve the community, not just a limited amount of the community.”
Yet many of the community members in attendance at the forum were adamant that another shelter is exactly what the village needs, and they spoke at length as to why.
Laura Himmelein, a board member of Furry Hearts Rescue, said Loehner’s figures regarding the number of animals Troncone picks up for sheltering are misleading because residents know if they call the animal control office, the animals will be taken to a kill shelter. As a result, Himmelein said Furry Hearts, a Maplewood nonprofit that performs trap-neuter-vaccinate-return with feral cats, is being inundated by calls, which is causing it to take in more animals than it can handle and is seriously depleting its resources.
Clearly, Himmelein said, another shelter is warranted in the JAC’s place.
“People in this community desperately want a no-kill shelter,” Himmelein said.
Throughout the evening, many residents did indeed criticize the kill shelters that South Orange has been using since the JAC’s closure, with Claire Roberts highlighting the 40-percent 2013 kill rate of Associated Humane Societies of Newark. Citing a state health department report, Virginia Canino also said the East Orange Animal Shelter euthanized animals without scanning for chips and did not have the proper dosing scales for euthanasia drugs, among other allegations she has heard.
Canino also pointed out that Kimani Griffith, a veterinarian who has been previously sued for negligence, is involved with both the East Orange shelter and Country Lakes Animal Clinic, both of which are being used by the village.
Elizabeth Demkin additionally brought up a case with which most local animal lovers are probably familiar — the cats rescued from a hoarder’s home in South Orange that were later euthanized after Troncone brought them to Country Lakes. Demkin viewed this as unacceptable, and she said residents should also refuse to accept the fact that South Orange and Maplewood are relying on Furry Hearts — which has helped 104 cats in Maplewood alone this year, according to the nonprofit — to do what a shelter could accomplish in the JAC building.
“Do you think we should be proud to be people who leave it to a small, private rescue to use their meager resources for shelter, vetting and basic care of our animals?” Demkin asked.
Evidently, many people did not think so, and they put forth several reasons why the building would work best as a shelter run by a private organization. Carole Leonard said she would never visit the building if it was repurposed as a senior center because it has few windows and parking spaces, with Donna Roth later pointing out that any expansions to the building or parking lot will likely hurt the nearby park.
Grace Kurak, a former JAC board member, reminded the board that it was the residents themselves who donated much of the money to fund the building’s construction to become an animal shelter. Kurak also suggested that a new animal shelter could work with South Orange and Maplewood to generate revenue by charging for grooming, spaying, neutering and licensing, among other services.
Speaking of licensing, Bob Chandross said he was outraged that Loehner said only 420 dogs and 84 cats are licensed in South Orange, when he believes those numbers should be much higher. He also expressed concern that the JAC building might be used for something other than an animal shelter when the village should have been inspecting the JAC to prevent it from getting so bad in the first place.
In short, Chandross said he was proud to live in a community that had an animal shelter, and he said South Orange would only hurt itself if it were to go on without one.
“I think it would be a horrible black mark on this community for us to give up a shelter building that people donated their money to and just go on sending our animals to some mill where they’re going to get murdered,” Chandross said. “I’ll be darned if I’m going to stay in a community where there’s such a miserable, cavalier attitude that you’d just throw the animals into a ditch.
“I think it’s about time you face reality, put that building back into order as an animal shelter and get some contracts with other communities that need a place to send their animals and hopefully will pay us some revenue,” he concluded to loud applause.
Before ending the meeting, Loehner informed the audience that two animal shelters did tour the building, but both later told the village they were not interested in taking it over. Trustee Mark Rosner also raised the idea of working with Essex County to provide animal services as well as looking at alternate shelter locations in Maplewood.
Overall, village President Sheena Collum said she was pleased to receive so much input from the community. While no recommendation will be made to the board yet, Collum promised that the trustees will consider all that was said during the forum, especially the need to provide low-kill animal services, either through starting a new shelter somewhere in town or contracting with a reputable outside group.
No matter what, Collum said residents will be kept informed of all developments moving forward.
“What I can commit to you is transparency,” Collum said. “If we have to do this again, we will do it again. We’ll keep doing it again until we’re in a good place and we can make sure everyone knows what we’re doing and specifically why we’re doing it.”
Correction: This article was updated to reflect Ron Charles’ position correctly. He is an engineer who lives in South Orange.