I am in favor of Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Mayor Garrett has done what no other predecessor since 2005 has done, named a site for a Hamden Animal Shelter. In fact, she did it twice!
She first took the fiscally responsible approach to saving Hamden taxpayers $70K annually for out-of-town kennel space, by proposing a shared shelter with New Haven. This was in conjunction with the pledge some 2021 candidates took to name a shelter site within 100 days of being sworn in. Unfortunately, those plans announced in March of 2022 were not feasible and won't be for the foreseeable future.
She then rebounded by naming a site within Hamden, in April of this year. Again with with fiscal responsiveness in mind, she kept projected costs down by proposing Town-owned property, in a non-heavily (R-1) residentially-zoned area, with no building/land to purchase, refurbish, and remove from the tax base.
As we wait for Mayor Garrett's plan, so we may know exactly what is being proposed, we hear of candidates wanting to go backward and once again look at regional opportunities. While that made sense at one point in time, that proverbial ship has sailed.
In 2018, then Chief of Police Thomas Wydra had plans drawn up for Hamden to have a 15-kennel wing at the new District Shelter being built at the time in Woodbridge. However, then-Mayor Leng never forwarded the plans to the Legislative Council. Another community instantly took the spot vacated by the Town of Hamden. Cheshire seems happy with their relatively new (by comparison) shelter. The same goes for North Haven, they'll double their kennel space once Hamden vacates. Why would they want to spend money when they don't need to?
I have nothing but respect for the employees at the New Haven Animal Shelter. However, I was dismayed to learn that city officials thought it was acceptable to house 100 animals in that obsolete building with antiquated ventilation. They'll be lucky if the changes brought forth after the current investigations conclude are completed within 10 years.
So unless a Mayoral candidate has a way to attach another shelterless town to Hamden's border, the best shot for a Hamden Animal Shelter in our lifetime is with our current Mayor, Lauren Garrett's proposal. Once it sees the light of day, residents will know the costs, how much land will be displaced, and how the Town plans to address noise and the concerns of area residents.
Should the proposal get that far, residents will have an opportunity to voice opinions for or against the proposal at a Public Hearing and then during an open forum before any Legislative Council vote. In the event that the current proposal fails, the Town of Hamden should look for another location within its 3 zip codes.
Lastly, the position of our organization was misrepresented in Friday's debate, we never asked anyone to build a shelter within 100 days. Our organization will amplify any Mayoral candidate, from any political party, who will name a site for a Hamden Animal Shelter within 100 days of being sworn in. However, going back to the regionalization argument is what first got us into this quagmire in 2005 which now costs taxpayers $70K annually. And we all know what they say about people who don't understand history...
Leonard Young
Hamden, CT