Twp. considers options for animal shelter Officials debate leasing space from local vet; residents sound off BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer Marge Petroff and other animal advocates have been waiting patiently for Woodbridge Township to build a state-of-the-art and much-needed animal shelter for the past five years, but the news they received last week may make the wait even longer. "We have grossly underestimated the construction costs," said Township Administrator Robert Landolfi. "Even when we started negotiating with bidders, the estimation still hovered around a million dollars, which did not include the start-up costs." The lowest bid received in September 2006 was $1.046 million. The highest bid was $1.2 million, officials said. The township in 2004 estimated that constructing a new shelter would cost $350,000, and later, after extensive, in-depth research, decided to allocate $750,000 for the animal shelter, which officials have said would include 18 dog runs, 40 to 50 spaces for cats, temporary cages, and storage facilities. Landolfi said the township has had conversations with Dr. Barry Adler, the co-owner of the Iselin Veterinary Hospital and staff veterinarian and director of the Woodbridge Veterinary Group, to lease space from him for a public shelter in the basement of the abandoned Adath Israel Synagogue on Route 35. "There haven't been any negotiations yet with Dr. Adler," Landolfi said. "However, the [idea] looks cost-effective for the long term and more efficient for the township." However, residents who came to the Jan. 30 council meeting were not thrilled with the idea. "I used to play bingo at the Jewish synagogue," said Karen Zwonar of Avenel. "It was not even good for humans to be there. It's just not fair for the animals and it's terrible. If the township can build a better shelter for the criminals [at the state prison in Avenel], then they should build a better shelter for the animals." State Sen. Joseph Vitale [D-19] and Ward 3 Councilman Greg Bedard have been working on a resolution to address the overcrowding problem in the prisons. "The township is just taking the animals from one mess to another," said Petroff, who was originally one of four women to advocate for a new animal shelter. "It's a horrible place. My dream is for an animal shelter to be built in this township. If only $750,000 is allocated for the shelter, then give the community time to raise the extra money." The current 30-by-40-foot shelter in Sewaren sits near old tank farms and a defunct arsenic-producing chemical plant, and houses cats and dogs in close quarters with one another. The shelter was only supposed to be a temporary fix five years ago, until the township could build a new shelter. It houses up to 12 dogs and 30 cats. The state Office of Animal Welfare found 20 violations over a seven-month period in 2005. The state did not levy any fines back then because then-Mayor Frank G. Pelzman, who died on June 29, 2006, had pledged to have a new shelter up and running by 2006. In addition to the Sewaren facility, the township has also paid $38,100 a year to house four dogs and 15 cats in a 10-by-15-foot space in the office of Iselin veterinarian Ira Niedweski for more than four years. The township also spends an additional $12,000 a year on medical treatment for the animals. Last July, State Sen. and then-interim Mayor Joseph Vitale said he was not prepared for what he saw when he visited the township animal shelter during the summer heat wave. He ordered a commercial-grade air-conditioning unit and air exchange system the same day of his visit. Public works employees upgraded the electrical service and installed the new system the next day. Landolfi assured the concerned residents that the animals would have the adequate housing and whatever they needed. "Our mission from the start was to house the animals in a safe and secure facility," he said. "We would not house the animals in anything inadequate. Even though the township might not own the space that the animal shelter is in, our mission would still be complete." Councilwoman Patricia Osborne said everyone on the council and in the administration was very disappointed when the bids came in too high. "We looked to other options," she said. "Suggestions were made to reduce the size of the building. That was not an option for us. I don't know any other veterinarian and animal shelter in place. No plans were submitted for the shelter, but options are being explored and everyone is concerned." Mayor John E. McCormac stressed that the township does not have any proposed or set plans for the animal shelter yet. "If a plan was presented, I would be happy to accept any suggestions, recommendations or criticisms of the plan," he said. "But there is no plan set in place yet; Dr. Adler is just an idea. This idea has been explored for the past three years. Yes, the building will be a privately owned facility, but the township will own the animal shelter. The public will have plenty of access to the shelter. I don't know of any place where there is a veterinarian and a shelter in the same building." McCormac said the money that the township allocated for the animal shelter was from the township's proposed $1 million pistol range. The county proposed its own pistol range around the same time, so Pelzman at the time decided to allocate the money for the animal shelter. "The county could absolutely consider building an animal shelter, just like the pistol range," said McCormac. "If we can get a facility safe and humane, it shouldn't matter if we own the space or lease it. People should not complain about a plan that doesn't exist; it just doesn't make sense." McCormac said he hopes to move on with negotiations and have an animal shelter up and running by the fall. "I don't want the animals to spend another winter in that shelter," he said.