SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — South Orange has stopped sending stray and lost animals to the Country Lakes Animal Clinic in Mine Hill, a facility owned by Dr. Kimani Griffith, who also served at the East Orange Animal Hospital before resigning in August after receiving an unsatisfactory report from the New Jersey Department of Health following an inspection.
Deputy village administrator Adam Loehner told the News-Record that the village stopped sending its animals to the clinic a month ago, shortly after the July report brought to light issues of neglect in East Orange, including animals not being provided with adequate water, and mold-covered food and dried feces being left in an isolation room for approximately two weeks; additionally, injured animals were allegedly not receiving prompt medical care, as is legally required. Loehner — who stressed that South Orange had only sent animals to Country Lakes and not to East Orange — said that report, coupled with residents’ strong response to it, has led to the change.
“The board heard some of the concerns from the residents,” Loehner said in a Sept. 3 phone interview. “We wanted to make sure that we were addressing some of those and we wanted to make sure that we were doing what residents wanted.”
Village President Sheena Collum did not respond to request for comment before press time Sept. 8.
Since cutting ties with Country Lakes, Loehner said the village has been sending most of the animals it collects to local veterinarians, such as Dr. Marc Levine of the South Orange Animal Hospital, for medical and sheltering services. Meanwhile, he said, the village is still deciding how to manage sheltering moving forward. A “minimal” number of animals were picked up by South Orange Animal Control Officer Melanie Troncone in August, the deputy village administrator said, but he added that the village will reach out to other clinics if a facility becomes necessary.
There remains the possibility that a shelter could open in South Orange — namely at 298 Walton Ave., the former Jersey Animal Coalition building. It has been more than two months since South Orange and Maplewood residents spoke out both in favor and against the idea of opening another shelter at the site during the village’s public forum. But Loehner said the South Orange Board of Trustees remains in discussion about how best to use the property. Specifically, the board is weighing the opinions of residents with the village’s needs, while examining its Master Plan. As a result, he said there is currently no timeframe for releasing a Request for Proposals regarding the building.
“Because (the trustees are) having to deal with all these issues on facilities and land and shared services, I think it’s a much larger discussion than they had realized,” Loehner said. “I think they’re trying to make the most knowledgeable decision by trying to collect as much information as possible before moving forward. So, unfortunately, I do think it’s just taking longer than anyone ever expected.”
Loehner added that the village is also working closely with the township of Maplewood, which contributed to the construction of the former JAC building, in planning what to do with the site. Though the trustees will make the final decision, he said it will be agreed to by both towns.
Whenever that decision comes, many residents from South Orange and Maplewood are holding out hope that the building will reopen as a facility for animals. Maplewood resident Claire Roberts said using the property as another shelter would be convenient for community members since they could pick up their lost pets minutes away from their homes rather than having to travel to other towns. Residents can also keep a better eye on what is going on inside the shelter if it remains local, Roberts said, and volunteers could ensure the animals are being looked after there.
Above all, Roberts stressed that any shelter that takes over the site must not be anything like the JAC, which was evicted last year after a joint inspection of the New Jersey and South Orange health departments found numerous alleged problems, including not keeping animals with communicable diseases isolated and a lack of adequate ventilation. Roberts said it is vital that any potential shelter be run responsibly while also satisfying nearby residents who complained of issues such as noise.
“A poorly run animal shelter is not something that anyone wants to have again,” Roberts told the News-Record in a Sept. 3 phone interview. “A properly managed shelter should prevent the problems that were so troublesome to the residents who lived in the neighborhood from the outset. Everything is in the execution of how a shelter is managed. And if you don’t have effective management, then you have problems.”
Two animal shelters previously toured the building, but they both later told the village that they were not interested in taking it over.
South Orange resident Tamara Schraiber also feels strongly that the building should be used to help animals, pointing out that numerous residents donated money to its construction for that very purpose. And while many opponents to the idea argue that the low number of animals collected by the village does not warrant a shelter, Schraiber said there are more lost and stray animals in the community than people realize; residents just do not report them for fear the animals will be taken to a kill shelter.
According to Loehner, Troncone picks up an average of one dog and five to seven cats per month that need sheltering. But Laura Himmelein, a board member of the Maplewood-based Furry Hearts Rescue shelter, reported that her organization has taken in a total of 124 cats alone since January at the Sept. 1 Maplewood Township Committee meeting.
Schraiber, however, does not feel that a shelter would necessarily be the best use for the building. Rather, she said that her preference is for the property to be used as an animal intake facility for Troncone so that local residents would know exactly where to find their lost pets. Additionally, Schraiber said the village could use the space to provide licensing and vaccinations as well as host low-cost spaying and neutering. It could also rent out the building to a business offering pet grooming and day care services, she said.
“There are so many opportunities there that you could bring in revenue for the town as well as do justice for our animals,” Schraiber told the News-Record in a Sept. 4 phone interview. “There’s so much potential for that building,” she added. “I think they’re just missing this great opportunity.”
But not every resident agrees that using 298 Walton Ave. as a facility for animals is best for the village. Farrell Field Park Conservancy President Richard Bell told the News-Record that, although he and the other conservancy members are animal-lovers, they do not believe South Orange needs an approximately 5,000-square-foot shelter, especially one so close to a residential neighborhood. Instead, Bell said Essex County should build an animal shelter, situated at least 400 yards from residents, for all its communities to use. Meanwhile, he said residents could simply use social media to keep track of and return lost pets, while taking advantage of veterinary offices, shelters and businesses within a 15-mile radius for animals that need sheltering.
As for the former JAC building, Bell said he hopes the village rents the space at market price to a service that will be compatible to the park-like setting of the nearby River Greenway Project as well as to the residents who live in the area. This leaves a wealth of opportunities, he said, including using the space to house some of the Village Hall offices. But the conservancy would most like to see the property become a child day care center, the president said.
“We’re looking at what is needed in town,” Bell said in a Sept. 3 phone interview. “There are so many young families moving into town, and there’s a shortage of day care. So if the village plans to actually issue an RFP to rent out the building, day care would be one of the primary businesses that would have a business model that would afford to pay market rent.
“To me, the sound of children playing in a day care center is something that would fit in well,” he added.
Janine Bauer, who has spearheaded the River Greenway Project since its inception, said she would not be opposed to a day care center at the site, though she questions whether there is enough room for one. Like Bell, though, Bauer said the village does not need such a large animal shelter.
What is most important to her, Bauer said, is that any service that occupies the property be consistent with the project’s vision while also not attracting too much traffic to the area. And though she does not have a particular preference, as she pointed out, those are wide parameters.
“If the building were repurposed, I think that almost any use would be complementary to the River Greenway,” Bauer told the News-Record in a Sept. 4 phone interview.
“There’s a lot that could go there,” she continued. “Really, the ideas are limitless.”
