Shelter expansion should break ground in September BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer OLD BRIDGE - Though the cats and dogs have had to wait longer than they planned for an expansion of the Old Bridge Animal Shelter, their wait will not have been in vain. Town officials have expanded the scope of the project, which will more than double the size of the shelter from its original size, according to Mayor Jim Phillips. "[The change] did set it back a little, but we're close," Township Administrator Mike Jacobs said. "There's no sense doing it if we're not going to do it right." The $300,000 township-funded capital project was slated for late spring, but no work has started yet. The expansion was originally slated to be 700 square feet, but officials decided a need called for the new plan of a 1,186-square-foot addition to the existing facility. Jacobs said Detective Lt. Colleen McNamara, who supervises the no-kill shelter and serves as an animal control officer in town, suggested the change. McNamara could not be reached for comment. "I know they have a lot of animals there and they really could use the addition," said Cathy Cleary of the Friends of Old Bridge Animal Shelter (FOBAS). "The animals … can't talk. That's why we try to talk for them." Despite the changes, the original budget for the project remains the same for the expansion work. Money allocated for extra cages will now be used for the additional work, and that money will be gleaned from other sources, Jacobs said. The facility has not been upgraded since it was constructed in the late 1970s. With the expansion comes extra space so cats and dogs can be housed in separate areas, and a new adoption showroom will give people and potential pets the opportunity to interact in a normal setting. The space will also be used for storage of supplies, and for a new animal bathing area. The goal is to make the facility less institutional, and more conducive to adoption, McNamara said back in February. Those involved with the shelter have struggled with the problem of housing cats and dogs in the same area for a while. State regulations require that the animals be housed in separate areas, and that an isolation room with its own air supply be provided for sick cats. As a temporary fix to the stress put on cats faced with barking dogs in opposite cages, the staff put up shower curtains between them, McNamara said. When the work is completed, the existing kennel will house only dogs. Cats will have large play cages, along with a one-and-a-half-story sunlit cage for showcasing felines that are ready for adoption. "You still have the poor cats hearing the dogs barking at them all day long," Cleary said. Cleary said FOBAS has been collecting signatures at their fundraisers to push for the expansion. About 900 signatures have been gathered, Cleary said. "We have been pressing the architect to complete his plans," Phillips said. "That has been a delay. I'm anxious to move forward with it." Jacobs said Princeton-based RMF Architect is a smaller firm, which is appropriate for this type of project, but smaller firms sometimes take longer to complete the work. Jacobs said he has been calling the architect daily to check his progress, and Phillips has been pushing for the work to begin as well. A meeting with the architect was scheduled for Wednesday, Jacobs said. The bidding process for the project will likely begin in August, and officials are hoping to break ground some time in September. "There's nobody that wants it done anymore than us," Jacobs said. "It has been ignored for years." The shelter is located in the municipal complex at Route 516 and Cottrell Road. It is operated by two animal control officers under the direction of the township police department. Potential adopters can peruse the shelter's population by visiting petfinder.com, then linking to Old Bridge. There, one can also find the shelter's wish list for donations, along with other information. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and 2-3 p.m., and weekends from noon to 2 p.m. For more information, e-mail the shelter at OldBridgeanimalshelter@yahoo.com or call (732) 721-5600, ext. 6300.