SALEM Group abandons plan to move cat shelter

The shelter is part of a program aimed at spaying and neutering cats.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- The Salem Humane Society has scrapped plans to relocate its office and temporary cat shelter because the new spot places limits on the number of felines allowed.
The agency won an appeal in April to move its office and shelter from South Ellsworth Street to a commercial building at 297 Dodge Drive, which is in a residential neighborhood.
The appeal was sparked by the city zoning officer's denial of the humane society's request for a nonconforming-use permit for the Dodge Drive location.
Patrick Morrissey, the city zoning officer, had denied the request because he believed the humane society's use of the building would differ too significantly from its previous use as offices for an oil company.
In appealing that decision, the humane society disagreed and won the support of the zoning board, which reversed Morrissey and allowed the permit.
The panel did, however, limit to five the number of cats that can be housed at the shelter because zoning regulations apply that limit in residential areas.
The five-cat limit led to the humane society's decision to abandon the relocation plan, Connie Doskocil, the agency's office manager, explained Thursday.
Here's the procedure
Typically, the humane society provides temporary shelter for up to about 15 cats, Doskocil said. The felines are brought in for spaying or neutering, although the procedures are not actually performed there.
After considering the limit, the agency decided "we could better serve everybody if we stayed where we were at," Doskocil said.
The humane society is still looking for a new location, she added.
This time, the agency will seek a spot in a commercially zoned area such as where it is now. That way, the number of cats it can care for won't be limited.
The group sought a new location to begin with because it says its Ellsworth Avenue facility is too small.
Eventually, the agency plans to establish an animal shelter on vacant land along state Route 45 in Salem Township south of Salem.
The humane society is relying on money from a trust fund to help build the shelter.
Plans are being delayed, however, because a similarly named agency that formerly received the trust money is challenging the humane society's right to it in 11th District Court.