New Animal Shelter on the Way

Members of the Township Committee and the Montville Pet Parents were on hand Monday morning as the first steps toward the construction of a new animal shelter in Montville took place with the demolition of an old house on Church Lane.

Sue Goldblatt, president of the Montville Pet Parents, a non profit organization focused on raising money for a new animal shelter since its inception in 2005, said she was very excited to see the first steps toward a new shelter being taken.

“This is a project almost six years in the making,” she said. “This demolition is proof that it’s finally going to happen.”

Goldblatt described the process of getting a new shelter as “painful” and said that today made the process worth it.

“Today feels great,” she said.

The Pet Parents have been raising money for a new shelter through grants and donations from individuals and organizations, according to the group’s website. One of the group’s bigger fundraises is its Book drive, held annually at the Montville library.

Township Administrator Frank Bastone said he was glad to see the new shelter process beginning to come to fruition.

“There have been some issues in getting this off the ground, but we’ve worked through them and we’re happy to be here today to make room for a new shelter,” he said.

Bastone said that, because Montville shares its animal control services with other neighboring towns, the new shelter could be partially funded by other municipalities.

“This paves the way for more,” he said. “We share animal services with Morristown, Mountain lakes, and now people can see that this is a reality. It’s a first step, but this is happening.”

Bastone said that the animal shelter could be completed as soon as next year.

Currently, the township’s animal shelter is located at 86 River Road, connected to the building that hosts the Montville Baseball Softball Association, in the same development that houses the new Board of Education building.