Talks Continue to Avoid Closing of Greenburgh Pets Alive Westchester Shelter
Ongoing discussions between the Town of Greenburgh and the administration of Pets Alive Westchester to try to keep the no kill animal shelter open in Elmsford have continued into this week.
After a press release was circulated by the shelter stating its intention to restructure its organization by closing its Westchester facility, private residents from Greenburgh as well as other municipalities in Westchester and Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner became very vocal about whether or not Pets Alive had the right to sell the land that had been donated for use specifically as an animal shelter. Pets Alive paid $10 for the land.
Feiner called an emergency meeting last week that was very emotional and very well-attended.
According to Feiner, the good news coming out of the meeting was that Greenburgh Councilman Francis Sheehan and Town Attorney Tim Lewis had discovered a deed restriction that would not allow Pets Alive to sell the property to a commercial developer.
The deed specifically states that: “the grantee, its successors and assigns shall use the said premises solely and exclusively for park, recreational, or general municipal purposes or as an animal shelter in perpetuity.”
Feiner, Sheehan and Lewis then met with Pets Alive representatives to discuss the possibility of the animal welfare group continuing operation of the no kill shelter or to allow another non profit animal rights group to manage the shelter operations.
“I do not believe that Pets Alive should be able to keep the land if they are not going to use the land for a shelter. Pets Alive should either give the land back to animal rights advocates who can take over the responsibilities of the shelter or if they sell the land 100 percent of the funds raised should be used to find another location in Westchester County,” Feiner said.
Feiner also explained that the building used by the shelter was built with private donations. “Hundreds of volunteers have worked long and hard to provide important services to animal lovers. Many terrific matches were made by the shelter volunteers, helping to find homes for pets,” he said.
“Because the land was donated to the shelter, I strongly believe that Pet’s Alive should not be allowed to sell the land and make a profit at the expense of Westchester. Westchester residents, animal lovers, community leaders need to strategize and plan an aggressive effort to keep the shelter operating here in Westchester,” Feiner continued.
In the original press release, Pets Alive management said in addition to the building problems, they were also taking into consideration the operating costs for the building, which exceeds 30,000 square feet. Much of that space goes unused but still needs to be heated, cooled and cared for.
“The Pets Alive organization believes we have a fiscal responsibility to our donors. Although the decision was difficult, we cannot continue to spend our donor’s funds on a building that cannot be properly repaired and costs a phenomenal amount just to maintain. This restructuring will allow us to focus more on our mission to save the lives of the animals that need us,” said Pets Alive Chief Financial Officer Jenessa Cutler said in the release.
The Board of Pets Alive is meeting this week and Feiner expects that have another meeting between the Town and the Shelter on Thursday to further explore possibilities that would maintain a no kill animal shelter in Westchester County.
