Animal Shelter for SOMA/Community Forum

On Wednesday, June 17th there will be a Community Forum to discuss ideas for the use of the former JAC Building on Walton Road.

The meeting will be at the Baird, 5 Mead Street, South Orange.

This meeting is for Maplewood residents as well as South Orange residents, and if you want our communities to have a local animal shelter again with a new management--or if you want to discuss other uses of the building--please come to this meeting.

If Maplewood feels secure that there will definitely be a new shelter please check at the 1 hour point and see that there are queries as to what South Orange's responsibility is to Maplewood. http://ec4.cc/fe866263 If you have strong feelings about ending your contract with Associated Humane as your ACO and holding facility it is important that you come and voice your opinion. Your dogs and cats go to AHS and ours, to our surprise have ended up in the East Orange Pound, and if you didn't like the JAC health report, wait till you see theirs. Allegations have been made that they kill before the 7 days and do not check for microchip.

Morganna said:
If Maplewood feels secure that there will definitely be a new shelter please check at the 1 hour point and see that there are queries as to what South Orange's responsibility is to Maplewood. http://ec4.cc/fe866263 If you have strong feelings about ending your contract with Associated Humane as your ACO and holding facility it is important that you come and voice your opinion. Your dogs and cats go to AHS and ours, to our surprise have ended up in the East Orange Pound, and if you didn't like the JAC health report, wait till you see theirs. Allegations have been made that they kill before the 7 days and do not check for microchip.

Earlier today, I spoke with a reliable source in the Maplewood municipal government who assured me that the town is aware of the fact that SO is considering alternative uses for the former JAC building.

joan_crystal said:

Morganna said:
If Maplewood feels secure that there will definitely be a new shelter please check at the 1 hour point and see that there are queries as to what South Orange's responsibility is to Maplewood. http://ec4.cc/fe866263 If you have strong feelings about ending your contract with Associated Humane as your ACO and holding facility it is important that you come and voice your opinion. Your dogs and cats go to AHS and ours, to our surprise have ended up in the East Orange Pound, and if you didn't like the JAC health report, wait till you see theirs. Allegations have been made that they kill before the 7 days and do not check for microchip.

Earlier today, I spoke with a reliable source in the Maplewood municipal government who assured me that the town is aware of the fact that SO is considering alternative uses for the former JAC building.

Does that mean there won't be a shelter? Or just not a shelter in that building?

There is no guarantee that there will be an animal shelter anywhere in our two towns. Any use of the building can be put on the table, as I understand it from attending the June 8 BOT meeting in South Orange.

So the June 17th meeting at the Baird is the critical meeting for community input into the kind of RFP (request for proposal) South Orange decides to issue regarding the future use of the building.

If you want a shared local animal shelter and humane treatment of our animals, this meeting is critical.

If you cannot come to the meeting, please e-mail Sheena Collum and let her know your views. And if you want a shared animal shelter, it's important to cc the members of Maplewood's Township Committee.

Here are the e-mail addresses:

Sheena Collum: scollum@southorange.org

Maplewood Township:

Victor De Luca: v.deluca@twp.maplewood.nj.us

Kathleen Leventhal: k.leventhal@twp.maplewood.nj.us

India Larrier: ilarrier@twp.maplewood.nj.us

Jerry Ryan: g.ryan@twp.maplewood.nj.us

Marlon Brownlee: mbrownlee@twp.maplewood.nj.us

You would have a few more allies if you gave up on forcing it into a residential neighborhood.

tom said:
You would have a few more allies if you gave up on forcing it into a residential neighborhood.

If a shelter can be located elsewhere in our community besides the former JAC building, and without substantial delay, I am okay with that.

Can I count on your support then?

But at the moment there is no guarantee whatsoever that there will be a shelter anywhere in our community. And no, I am not in favor of having no local shelter at all.

relx said:

Does that mean there won't be a shelter? Or just not a shelter in that building?

At this point, all that means is that the Township of Maplewood's municipal government is aware of the fact that SO's municipal government is considering alternative uses for the property. Things are obviously delayed from the original target date set for the RFP; but, no decision has been made yet as to whether the shelter proposal will move forward.

I would absolutely support a shelter in a light-industrial zone.

Mrs. Tom and I were brainstorming this the other night after the meeting. What about putting a shelter on the site of the abandoned psych hospital up in Cedar Grove? There are probably other, similar tracts in the county.

I'd support a shelter with funding of some kind. I'm not sure if I'd support a fully taxpayer-funded shelter.

tom said:
I would absolutely support a shelter in a light-industrial zone.
Mrs. Tom and I were brainstorming this the other night after the meeting. What about putting a shelter on the site of the abandoned psych hospital up in Cedar Grove? There are probably other, similar tracts in the county.

Thanks, Tom.

I believe that if the SOMA residents who want humane treatment for our animals come together and speak up at the meeting, then we will be able to work out the details of the where and the how.

I don't know the site you mention, but I think you and Mrs. Tom should absolutely come to the meeting, speak your minds and offer your suggestions.

tom said:
I would absolutely support a shelter in a light-industrial zone.
Mrs. Tom and I were brainstorming this the other night after the meeting. What about putting a shelter on the site of the abandoned psych hospital up in Cedar Grove? There are probably other, similar tracts in the county.

tom,

I checked on the hospital and it is owned by Hovnanian and seems to finally be moving forward and as I know the mayor of Cedar Grove through family, his cousin got through to him today and he does not feel it is feasible to have a shelter in his town. He is a true animal lover, so I thought it was worth a call. I'll do any legwork on any ideas, as I have offered to the town many times.

tom, what is your opposition to the location of the JAC? Can you hear barking from your house?