MSPCA offers existing shelter building for use by Island
The president of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) assured a group of animal control officers, veterinarians, and town and county leaders that despite plans to close Martha's Vineyard's only animal shelter on May 1, the facility will remain available for use in caring for animals.
"The one thing we can bring to the table, and I certainly wanted to share it with you today, is that we have a building that we are fully prepared to make available to the community, to help homeless animals," said MSPCA president Carter Luke in a meeting Tuesday at the Dukes County government offices.
MSPCA president Carter Luke.
Photo by Ralph Stewart
The MSPCA announced plans to close the shelter on Feb. 5. "I'm sorry it took a couple of weeks for us to come out and talk," said Mr. Luke, who made a special trip to Martha's Vineyard to attend Tuesday's meeting with Jean Weber, the MSPCA's director of animal care and adoption centers.
The late Katharine M. Foote founded the Vineyard shelter that bears her name in 1933. In 1947 she deeded the Edgartown property on which the shelter is located on the corner of Pennywise Path and Vineyard Haven Road to the MSPCA.
In addition to the shelter, the property includes a house and another building in front leased by the MSPCA to veterinarian C. Roger Williams for his business, the Vineyard Veterinary Clinic.
"We're hoping to have a long-term relationship with him, but we haven't had a chance to talk about that yet," said Mr. Luke. No decisions have been made yet about the house, either, he added, although an interested buyer has already called him.
Mr. Luke said that although the details of the shelter's use remain to be worked out, the MSPCA is not looking to make money on the building by selling it or by anything involving raising money to buy or rent it. The use of the building also will include equipment inside, such as cages, which will be not removed.
"We're looking at this building that was put together with the heart and soul of people on Martha's Vineyard to help homeless animals, and it is our intent to have that building continue to be available to some kind of responsible entity that steps forward to help homeless animals," said Mr. Luke.
"It's just very heartening to see that your focus is on maintaining the community's needs for the animals, and it's a great place to start," said Dukes County manager Russell Smith.
The county's interest in the shelter project is to provide, if asked to do so, an umbrella organization for the Island-wide effort, Mr. Smith said. Despite the county's financial constraints, he added, "We do well at administration and provide a regional body to do so - we're willing to do so."
A matter of money
In addition to the Martha's Vineyard shelter, the MSPCA also announced plans to close animal care and adoption centers in Springfield and Brockton, based on economics.
"We've been around for a long time, and never in a million years did I dream that I was going to be in the situation of being the president of the MSPCA during a massive economic meltdown in America that would have such an impact on us," Mr. Luke said.
Mr. Smith asked him if Martha's Vineyard's MSPCA facility ran in the red, and if so, how much will be needed to keep it going.
"Essentially, yes," Mr. Luke said. "Just to give you an overall financial picture here, last year, our deficit for the Vineyard was about $135,000. That does not include any capital issues - it does not include the general administrative costs, such as accounting, management, human resources, supervision - that's all provided by central administration."
Mr. Luke said the Vineyard shelter's expenses for calendar 2008 were $250,000, offset by $130,000 in total income, including cremation and adoption fees, donations, special events, and merchandise sales. The Martha's Vineyard shelter never made a profit, Mr. Luke said, and has always been supported with donations from the parent organization, in addition to those from Islanders.
The Martha's Vineyard shelter cared for 470 animals in 2008, MSPCA communications director Brian Adams told The Martha's Vineyard Times last month. Services provided included adoption, medical needs such as spaying and neutering, education, and cremation.
"Does the community want a shelter to be a county-run operation or locally run by the government?" asked Ron Whitney, the shelter's long-time director and only full-time employee. "Does each town want to chip in and take a piece of it and work that way, or do we want to have humane services the way they have been provided over the past 20 years - that's a lot more complicated."
Filling the gaps
Veterinarian Michelle Gerhard Jasny expressed concern about the loss of the MSPCA's cremation services after May 1. There is a question of whether another Island entity may be allowed to operate the crematory under the MSPCA's permit, as well as how much longer the 35-year-old, oil-fired machine will last, Mr. Whitney said. He suggested looking into the option of contracting a company to provide animal disposal and cremation services, which may be equal to or less than the cost of running the crematory.
It costs about $10,000 a year to operate the crematorium, Mr. Whitney said, and revenues from cremation fees amount to about $25,000 to $30,000 annually.
Dr. Williams suggested it might be best to establish some kind of bridge operation in the meantime. Along those lines, Edgartown Animal Control Officer (ACO) Barbara Prada said Martha's Vineyard's ACOs had discussed the idea of creating a "central morgue" for dead animals.
West Tisbury ACO Joan Jenkinson asked about the possible loss of law enforcement services provided by the MSPCA, such as animal cruelty investigations. Mr. Luke assured her Martha's Vineyard's ACOs can still call upon the MSPCA for help.
Island shelter committee
A few weeks after the shelter closing was announced, several Vineyard ACOs spearheaded the formation of a shelter planning committee to explore alternative options. The committee, which is still in the process of adding members, met Monday in a conference room at Martha's Vineyard Airport.
Edgartown assistant ACO Kate Vanderhoop is coordinating the group, which will be made up of one to two representatives from each town, a county commissioner, ACOs, and at least one veterinarian.
Mr. Whitney said he and the committee are on the same page as far as trying to encourage community members to get involved in establishing an Island-run shelter. He does not know what role he will play after his MSPCA job ends on May 1. Dr. Williams praised him for a job well done.
Ms. Vanderhoop said the All-Island Selectmen plan to discuss the animal shelter issues at a meeting on March 23, which Mr. Luke said he and Ms. Weber plan to attend.
Several of the shelter planning committee members also attended Tuesday's meeting. West Tisbury representative Phyllis Meras asked Mr. Luke how long the MSPCA will make the shelter building available free of charge.
"I don't have a closed end on this," Mr. Luke told her. "We'll probably start with a short-term arrangement - we're looking for a responsible entity to come and take charge, and are hoping this is a long-term, permanent solution. A long-term lease is more dependent on whether it's a successful entity - and we are going to do everything we can to help it succeed."
Mr. Luke suggested creating a smaller working subcommittee to tackle more immediate priorities, such as determining what Island entity will handle arrangements with the MSPCA for use of the shelter building.
Oak Bluffs selectman Kerry Scott, a long-time supporter of the MSPCA and the owner of the Good Dog Goods store, told Mr. Luke that Island organizers realize there will be a role for government to play, and perhaps a new non-profit organization as well as the community, in creating a new animal shelter and rescue organization.
In looking for business models used in other towns, Ms. Scott said she is impressed by the Friends of Falmouth Dogs (FFD) as a great example of a private and public partnership. She invited two of the organization's board members and a Falmouth ACO to meet with interested Islanders tomorrow at 11 am at the Dukes County offices.
In the meantime, Ms. Prada said she hopes the public will remain calm about the shelter closing and let the committee do its work. "The towns have come together - this is where we need community support," she pointed out. "This is going to be a big task for this committee, and a lot of work in a short time - we hope people will call and volunteer their knowledge and services."
If interested, contact Ms. Vanderhoop at 508-627-4921.
