Mayor seeks budget rider to help raise funds for shelter
Account would allow for private money to be raised for animal shelter
BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer

WOODBRIDGE - With ideas still up in the air for the public animal shelter, Mayor John E. McCormac announced last week that he will seek a budget rider to allow for the private donation of funds to assist in the care and housing of abandoned animals.

"There is no doubt that the care and housing of abandoned and homeless animals is a very real concern for some township residents, just as it is with my administration," he said. "I, along with the Township Council, have heard the concerns … and we are offering a way for residents to assist in achieving the goal of establishing a township animal shelter."

The budgetary rider allows the township to establish a bank account for the deposit of privately raised funds dedicated to a specific purpose or goal. Budgetary riders require that such accounts be established for a specific purpose and the account is public and subject to independent audit.

The township has used similar accounts in the past and have allowed for the funding of public-private partnerships such as the construction of the Community Playground, the Welcome to Woodbridge Sign Committee, the purchase of defibrillators for public buildings, and similar public-private initiatives.

"I encourage and welcome the participation of any resident or business wishing to contribute to this project," said McCormac. "Each and every dollar will support the ultimate goal of providing humane care and shelter to abandoned, homeless and innocent animals."

The township's private fundraising project has received the support of the Woodbridge Animal Group [WAG], an independent local animal care and adoption organization.

Township officials announced at the Feb. 13 council meeting that they would not pursue the idea to lease space from Dr. Barry Adler, co-owner of the Iselin Veterinary Hospital and staff veterinarian and director of the Woodbridge Veterinary Group, even though they still believe the idea was the best so far for the township. The township was in negotiations with Adler 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.

McCormac said the administration and Township Council are continuing to review options for 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 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. The administration, with the assistance of concerned citizens, is also looking to apply for public-private grants that might be available to assist in funding the animal shelter project.

To kick-start the fundraising efforts, McCormac announced he will host a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the Woodbridge Elks 4-8 p.m. April 15. Anyone interested in assisting the fund-raising effort can contact the mayor's office at (732) 634-4500 to volunteer - cooks, servers and clean-up staff are needed.

Additionally, WAG, with the support of the Woodbridge Township Department of Health and Human Resources, sponsors an animal adoption program Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Woodbridge PETsMART store. Cats and dogs are presented for adoption, while pictures of the cats and dogs are on display at the store. Anyone interested in adopting a pet can contact the Woodbridge Animal Control office, (732) 855-0666, ext. 5007. Representatives from the health department are available to assist in licensing and health care.

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 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.

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.

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 his administration and the Township Council would continue to pursue appropriate options that have been, and remain, under consideration with the single goal of locating and providing an animal shelter that is cost effective, considers the needs of all township taxpayers and financial priorities, while at the same time allowing for the goal that we all share, the humane care and protection of the animals.