Riverhead Animal Shelter Awarded $500K By State

RIVERHEAD, NY — Homeless animals in Riverhead got a huge helping hand recently: The North Fork Animal Welfare League announced that it will receive $500,000 from the New York State Companion Animal Capital Fund.

The amount is the highest amount allotted in NFAWL's municipal sheltering category, said NFAWL's Executive Director Gillian Pultz.

The grants are designed to help municipal animal shelters vastly enhance their animal care capabilities and increase adoptions, she said.

The NFAWL will use the funds to help make the necessary upgrades in order for the newly purchased Riverhead Animal Shelter to comply with the Association of Shelter Veterinarian's Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.

"Receiving this grant is a huge vote of confidence from New York State regarding the level of quality care provided by the North Fork Animal Welfare League to the homeless animals of Riverhead," Pultz said.

The NFAWL has held the Town of Riverhead's animal control contract since 2013. The new facility for the Riverhead Animal Shelter was secured in Oct., 2018.

Only six municipal shelters in the state were granted $500,000 from the fund, overseen by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The fund was originally championed by New York State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick and New York State Senator Phil Boyle, a release said.

The funding will go directly towards Phase I of a $2.8 million dollar project underway to install high volume shelter industry standards including isolation care units and adoption suites, Pultz said. The major renovations include readying the shelter to rescue cats — a first for the Town of Riverhead, Pultz pointed out.

"We believe in saving more animals' lives in Riverhead, our elected officials believe in saving more lives, and our community believes in it, too," Pultz said. "In addition to creating a safer and healthier environment to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home more dogs, we're committed to working more closely with the area's community cat caregivers — in the last month alone we have been alerted to two separate unmanaged feral cat colonies with over 350 intact cats. The funding will go a long way towards solving the issues some of Riverhead's most underserved communities are facing."

The funding will mean stray cats have a greater chance of survival, many agree.

"The North Fork Animal Welfare League sponsors an indispensable local Trap-Neuter-Return program that's been running successfully for over a decade," Donna Baldridge, a community cat caregiver, said. "The fact that the Riverhead Animal Shelter will be able to act as a community resource for the un-owned cats of the area is paramount to realizing our goal of no more homeless cats on the North Fork. This money will ensure that the stray cats will continue to get the same quality care as owned cats, while we work on diminishing the numbers of unwanted litters born on the streets."

The multi-tiered application process was completed by individuals instrumental in the renovation project, Pultz said, including Glynis M. Berry and Hideaki Ariizumi of Studio a/b Architects . "Studio a/b has provided invaluable direction on physically improving the structure with health and safety at the forefront, and Tom Lagomarsino, CPA, has lent his expertise to ensure the project is fiscally responsible and remains on budget," she said.

On Monday, New York State Andrew Cuomo announced that nearly $4.5 million has been awarded to 13 animal shelters and humane societies across the state through the New York State Companion Animal Capital Fund.

The funding will support construction, renovation and expansion projects that will enhance animal care and health, and help ensure adoptions for New York's dogs and cats; it's the second round of the Companion Animal Capital Fund, the first state-funded program in the nation to support critical improvement projects at animal shelters, he said.

"New York is proud to be home to the first program in the country dedicated to supporting local animal shelters and humane societies improve their facilities and better care for the animals they serve," Cuomo said. "This continued funding will better equip facilities across the state to provide for the animals in their care, promote the health of both pets and people, and help to encourage adoptions."

Funded in the 2018 to 2019 state budget, the Companion Animal Capital Fund provides matching grants to shelters and humane societies to offset the costs associated with capital projects such as renovating dog kennels, improving medical facilities, or building more efficient shelters to reduce overall operational costs, a release said. Funds are also used to construct, renovate, rehabilitate, or acquire buildings or equipment needed to house, treat, and care for sheltered dogs and cats.

Competitive grants were awarded to shelters based on need and the readiness of projects, Cuomo said.

Pultz said the NFAWL wanted to thank the Dept. of Agriculture and Markets, Cuomo, New York Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, New York State Assemblyman Anthony H. Palumbo, Rep. Lee Zeldin, Riverhead Town Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith, Riverhead Town Council members Catherine Kent, James Wooten, Jodi Giglio, Tim Hubbard, and Libby Post, the executive director of New York State Animal Protection Federation.

"The Companion Animal Capital Fund is the first state-funded program of its kind in the nation," Post said. "Our goal is to create a permanent funding stream to assist shelters across New York improve their existing buildings or build new ones. Better facilities equal more community support and more adoptions. We see this funding as essential to moving the state's animal shelters forward."

Pultz said she believes the grant is a continuation of the major strides being made in the state regarding companion animal welfare. "The Riverhead Animal Shelter was once a few makeshift trailers behind the waste transfer station, today it is in a new building quickly on its way to being a state-of-the-art facility, saving cats for the first time, and serving both the animals and the people who love them with quality care," she said. "We are elated that our local and state elected officials recognize that companion animals are a growing priority to their constituents and this grant reflects their commitment."

Patch photo courtesy NFAWL.