Town of Hempstead Notebook: Animal Shelter Advancements, $100 Million Development

Town Discusses Advancements at Animal Shelter

In response to recent calls for reform at the Hempstead Town Animal Shelter, town officials are reaffirming their commitment to the health, safety and welfare of cats and dogs at the Wantagh facility.

"Indeed we have recently undertaken many initiatives to enhance the quality of care and expand services to animals," said Susan Trenkle-Pokalsky, press secretary for the Town of Hempstead.

Changes have included adding full-time veterinary services, hiring a veterinary technician, expanding the Trap-Neuter-Return Program for feral cats, retaining an animal behaviorist and expanding information on pets available for adoption on the Internet.

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Animal Shelter Rescues 10 Dogs from Freeport Home

Hempstead Town Animal Control Officers responded to a call from the Freeport Police Department late on Thursday evening, March 31. Hempstead Town shelter employees have retrieved 10 dogs from a Freeport home and are caring for them at the town's animal care facility located on Beltagh Avenue in Wantagh.

The dogs have been examined by a veterinarian; received cleaning, grooming and nurturing by animal care professionals; and will be assessed by an animal behaviorist. Murray said that the town has also reached out to renowned animal rescuers at Rescue Ink, who have particular expertise in pit bull rescue.

"Every animal rescue is a heart wrenching experience," Murray said. "At the same time, the rewards of recovering animals and ensuring that they receive good care and are healthy can be heart warming. Another important lesson that neighbors can draw from these rescues is the importance of 'saying something' if you 'see something' that is indicative of animal abuse or neglect."

Rescued from the Freeport home were three Boston Terriers, two young Terrier-mix dogs and five pit bulls. While the dogs appear to be in generally good health, town rescuers found dogs in cramped cages, which were littered with feces and urine. Some animals also evidenced old scars that had healed and arrived at the shelter underweight.

Town officials are working with the Freeport Village Police Department and the Nassau District Attorney's Office, as those authorities look into the circumstances at the home where the dogs were recovered. Additionally, the Hempstead Town Attorney's Office is preparing a petition in order for the township to be granted ownership of the ten dogs.

Town Attempts to Spur Economy with New Garden City Development

A decade after Avis Rent-A-Car moved its headquarters from Garden City to Parsippany, NJ, Hempstead Town and Equity One, Inc. knocked down some of the last remaining walls of the car rental giant's decrepit former corporate headquarters.

At a media event attended by Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby and Jeffrey Olson, Chief Executive Officer of Equity One, Inc., the officials announced the upcoming construction of a 330,000 square-foot retail, banking and restaurant development that will boast a $100 million investment into the local economy through direct construction related expenditures.

The projected composition of the buildings will include over 315,000 square feet of retail space, almost 11,000 square feet of restaurant area and over 3,200 square feet designated for a financial institution.

Permanent employment in management, retail service, business and financial operations, among other fields, is expected to result in over 600 jobs. During the construction phase an annual average approaching 500 workers will be employed.

Finally, the total economic activity that would result from the construction of the former Avis site is projected to be in the range of $160 million.

Town Partners With SourceOne on Key Energy Efficiency Projects

Veolia Energy North America, a leading operator and developer of energy efficient solutions, announced that SourceOne, its energy management and advisory services subsidiary, has been selected by the Town of Hempstead to provide energy efficiency measures.

As part of the contract, SourceOne will provide program management services to assist the Town with implementation of an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program from the United States Department of Energy (DOE).

SourceOne worked with the Town of Hempstead to secure a $4.6 million grant through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, created to assist U.S. cities, counties and states to develop, promote, implement and manage energy efficiency and conservation projects and programs.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) appropriated $3.2 billion for EECBGs to be distributed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) across the country.

SourceOne will support the town with the implementation of several sustainability and conservation initiatives including:

• Energy Conservation Projects (lighting, building management system, etc.)
• Sustainable planning and public outreach
• Light bulb swap program (replace older less efficient bulbs with CFLs)
• Solar PV arrays
• 100 Kw wind turbine
• Support for hydrogen fueling station
• Support branding green/sustainable technologies for the Town
• GHG inventory and plan to reduce GHG footprint

In addition, SourceOne will help execute the grant, and will provide technical support, along with support in grant administration, compliance, preparation of RFP, contractor selection, timeline and budget management, and DOE protocol.