Twp. nixes synagogue for new shelter Mayor still believes leasing space was the best option for town BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer WOODBRIDGE - Township officials announced last week that they will not pursue the idea to lease space from a local veterinarian for the public animal shelter; however, township officials still believe the decision with the veterinarian was the best idea that they had. Dr. Barry Adler, co-owner of the Iselin Veterinary Hospital and staff veterinarian and director of the Woodbridge Veterinary Group, told township officials last week he did not want to continue negotiations with the township to lease space from him for a public shelter in the basement of the former Adath Israel Synagogue on Route 35, where the local veterinarian plans to relocate his veterinary hospital in the near future. "I had to make the decision and stop getting distracted," said Adler, who said he would continue to work with the township to find a good shelter for the animals. "I had to start concentrating on my veterinary hospital and focus on my livelihood." Mayor John E. McCormac said even though discussions have been completed with Dr. Adler and the township will not be pursuing a rental agreement with him at this time, the administration still believes the idea with Dr. Adler was the best idea so far. "The possibility of renting space at Dr. Adler's facility significantly addressed the concerns of animal shelter and care," he said. "It met the immediate need to outfit a facility that would be available to take homeless and stray animals as soon as this spring. It provided extraordinary and immediate care, medical services, and comfort to animals through an on-site veterinarian [a feature that few other municipal or county shelters employ]. It allowed for a cost-effective expenditure of township funds dedicated to the animal shelter and it allowed the township to cancel any lease should the county move to a consolidated animal shelter program." McCormac said the administration along with the Township Council are continuing to review all available options regarding the establishment of an appropriate and permanent animal shelter. "Various options are being discussed," said McCormac. "There is at least one vacant township building that we are evaluating." The various options include, but are not limited to, leasing and/or converting a private facility; a potential conversion of existing township facilities into a shelter that meets state, county, and municipal codes, regulations, and requirements; and the construction of a new facility from the ground up. McCormac said his goal since becoming mayor on Nov. 13 has been to provide for the humane and affordable care of homeless and stray animals while considering limited taxpayer resources and the priority of other township projects. Marge Petrow and other animal advocates, who were against the negotiations between Dr. Adler and the township, have been waiting patiently for Woodbridge Township to build a state-of-the-art animal shelter for the past five years. "I'm happy that the negotiations between the township and Dr. Adler are a dead issue now," said Petrow. "But the bottom line is we were promised a public animal shelter for years." Petrow suggested to the Township Council on Feb. 13 a prefabricated 3,375-square-foot steel building that would cost the township $51,000, or an old building that the township could refurbish. Councilman James Major said that while prefabricated steel buildings appear to be cost-effective and may seem like a good idea, when all the costs are added up, the cost is about the same. 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. "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. Kimberly Pacelli of Avenel suggested the township look into grants that could help make up the difference in the cost of the animal shelter. 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. 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," he said. McCormac said the township would continue to pursue appropriate options that have been, and remain, under consideration. "We will move to locate and provide an animal shelter that is cost-effective and considers the needs of all township taxpayers and financial priorities," he said, "with the goal we all share - the humane care and protection of the animals."