Noise violation summonses issued; director cites opposition of neighbors to expansion plan.
By: David Campbell
Officials from SAVE, Princeton’s small-animal shelter, are expected to appear in Princeton Township Municipal Court this morning after receiving two summonses over barking dogs.
SAVE Executive Director Sara Nicolls said complaints by neighbors against the shelter have escalated since the nonprofit organization began publicizing its $5 million capital campaign this summer for a proposed new 33,000-square-foot facility to be built on its property off Herrontown Road.
In recent weeks, the complaints, which she called "unfounded," have bordered on harassment, Ms. Nicolls said.
"Once we announced the expansion, we started getting calls from neighbors," she continued. "They wanted to shut us down, either stop the expansion or get us to move somewhere else, which is not going to happen."
Princeton Animal Control Officer Mark Johnson confirmed that two municipal summonses were issued in October against the shelter stemming from complaints by neighbors about noise from barking dogs.
Mr. Johnson said noise from the shelter has been a longstanding problem for neighbors, and said he issued the summonses as a last resort.
He said SAVE has been given "countless" warnings and that he has held several meetings with the shelter in the past to "rectify problems over there," but said past efforts have proved unsuccessful.
When asked what possible penalties SAVE faces in court, Mr. Johnson said he is not seeking to penalize the shelter. Rather, he said, "I’m looking for an agreement to solve the barking dog problems."
Ms. Nicolls said the noise problems will be rectified when the new facility is built.
Under a 1997 renovation agreed to by neighbors, SAVE enclosed its outdoor dog kennels with a cement wall that also shut out all natural light. As a result, Ms. Nicolls said, the dogs need to be run outside in daylight twice a day for about 20 minutes.
The new facility, which is being designed by the firm Morton Buildings, Inc., will permit all activities at the shelter to occur indoors and it will be soundproof, Ms. Nicolls said.
"We need to invest a significant amount of money to make sure the animals we care for are housed in an appropriate facility," the executive director said.
Unfortunately, she claimed, the municipal summonses and the legal costs associated with having to answer them in court are hampering SAVE’s ability to pursue its mission and build a more adequate facility.
"We are a facility that services the township, and we have done the best we can do within the facility we have," Ms. Nicolls said. "We are responsive to the neighbors as best we can, and we are willing to invest a significant amount of money to provide the best care possible for the animals we serve."
She added: "We are a kennel. We have dogs that bark. The bottom line is that we’ve been here for 60 years, we adhere to all policies and procedures of our board and of state regulations."
The complainants were not named in the summonses, the executive director said, and Mr. Johnson did not disclose their identities.
SAVE has been in operation since 1941. More than 1,100 animals are saved each year by the shelter. Currently, there are about 160 animals being cared for on site, Ms. Nicolls said.
A motion in state Superior Court to dismiss the complaints as de minimis or petty charges, which SAVE filed prior to today’s hearing, could be pursued depending on the outcome in court, Ms. Nicolls said.
The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. today at Municipal Court in the main meeting room of Princeton Township Hall.