People for Animals--Best Choice for the former JAC Building

citizenjane

Dec 7, 2016 at 10:40pm

The South Orange Board of Trustees will decide on December 12th who will be the long-term tenant for the former Jersey Animal Coalition building at 298 Walton Avenue.

If you would like to have an animal welfare facility in our community again, please support the bid from People for Animals (PFA), an independent nonprofit animal welfare organization founded in 1980 with the first Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic in New Jersey. 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.

PFA would harbor our animals for the legally required 7 day holding period, with any unclaimed animals being transferred to no-kill shelters and rescues outside of our community. PFA would also help residents by offering a low-cost spay-neuter clinic, rabies clinics, educational programs, and volunteer opportunities for residents who want to work with animals. PFA has pledged its total commitment to being a good neighbor and put forth a solid plan to make sure it lives up to that pledge.

Because South Orange is required by NJ State law to provide animal control, if it doesn’t go with PFA, the Village must contract with another provider. South Orange will also have to pay back Maplewood the money Maplewood contributed to building 298 Walton Avenue. The highest rent offered is too little to provide for both a humane animal control contract with a third party and for repaying Maplewood.

But PFA’s proposal will not cost taxpayers additional money, and it benefits the greatest number of people in our community. The former JAC building was built out of the donations from many generous citizens who wanted a humane facility for our animals. PFA is the only bidder whose services support a need for the entire community and whose mission is related to the original vision for the space that so many people gave so much money to bring about.

Please support People for Animals as the tenant for 298 Walton Avenue by e-mailing both our South Orange and Maplewood officials.

SOUTH ORANGE

Sheena Collum, Village President: scollum@southorange.org

Walter Clarke: wclarke@southorange.org

Deborah Davis-Ford: ddavisford@southorange.org

Stephen Schnall: sschnall@southorange.org

Howard Levison: hlevison@southorange.org

Mark Rosner: mrosner@southorange.org

Jeff Dubowy: jdubowy@southorange.org

MAPLEWOOD

Vic DeLuca: v.deluca@twp.maplewood.nj.us

Nancy Adams: nadams@twp.maplewood.nj.us