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| A standing-room-only crowd spills out of the Jack Van Harn room as Sandra Carlton addresses the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners on Monday. (Daily News/Greg DeKraker) |
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| Mike Urbanski of Coral is surrounded by animal supporters as he tells the commissioners about concerns he has with Montcalm County’s contract with R&R Research in Howard City. (Daily News/Greg DeKraker) |
| | Many of the more than 150 people at Monday's Montcalm County Board of Commissioners meeting colorfully and emotionally expressed their feelings on the County Animal Shelter's contract with R&R Research in Howard City. Their comments included:
• "Our shelter has become the poster child for bad shelters across the nation. It is time for this board to change that. Shame on you if you don't. Shame on us if we fail to continue to stand up for this injustice being committed against our animals and our people." - Sandra Carlton, Greenville.
• "This six-month (special committee) is a cop-out. I think you did a real good job of razzle-dazzle and I congratulate you for that. I don't think there's any way someone from the animal shelter is going to be appointed to this panel." - Carlton, who submitted a proposal to commissioners two weeks ago calling for establishing an animal control advisory committee, among other things.
• "When I look into the eyes of my dogs at home I see the love they provide me. How can you do that and sign that contract with R&R Research? Think about that when you go home and look in your dog's eyes." - Diane Horner, Sheridan.
• "I don't believe any animal should be subjected to the fear, terror and torture they experience going to research." - Susan Maguire, Edmore.
• "I just hope Montcalm County becomes a compassionate county." - Beth Contreras, East Lansing.
• The animals "are going (to research) as unwilling participants. We are here to be their voice." - Barbara Olsen, Dorr.
• "You wouldn't want to be researched on and I don't think you should want your animals to be researched on either." - Pam Allen, Sheridan.
• "Please listen to the citizens of Montcalm County. It is time to stop living in the past and start living in the 21st century." - Mike Urbanski, Coral.
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1/27/2009 10:59:00 AM
Animal shelter foes: "Here we are'
Ryan Jeltema
News Editor
STANTON - The fate of the Montcalm County Animal Shelter's controversial contract with R&R Research remains in the balance after the County Board of Commissioners spent four hours Monday listening to opinions on the deal and deferred a definitive vote on the issue.
Instead, a "blue ribbon panel" of seven to nine people will be appointed to debate the issue further and make a recommendation to the commissioners. The R&R Research contract, which allows the Howard City company to "barter" for live animals from the shelter to sell for research in exchange for taking carcasses of euthanized animals, will continue for six months while the new committee does its work.
Packed meeting
An overflow crowd of more than 150 people spilled outside the Jack Van Harn Board of Commissioners room in Stanton on Monday, mostly imploring the commissioners not to extend the R&R Research contract when it runs out in two weeks.
More than 35 people, some driving from as far away as New York, addressed the commissioners.
"You say you want to hear from the people. Well, here we are," said Rhonda Waldorf of Sheridan, gesturing at the standing-room-only crowd. "We're showing you we don't want our pets bartered with research."
The emotional meeting turned testy at times. Board Chairman and District 7 Commissioner Patrick Q. Carr threatened to end public comment and clear the meeting room at least twice when the audience became raucous.
"An embarrassment"
Mike Borman, who recently moved to Langston, said he was shocked to find out the county is one of only four in Michigan that allows a Class B animal dealer such as R&R Research to take animals and resell them to research institutions.
"I'm amazed that Montcalm County is in such a minority. I think it's an embarrassment," he said. "The tide is turning. Let's make some drastic changes and fix the problems so Montcalm County doesn't make headlines around the nation and around the world for the wrong reasons."
Greenville veterinarian Dr. Randy Carpenter said he advises his clients to avoid the shelter due to long-standing concerns about the health and welfare of animals housed there.
"I view Montcalm County Animal Control as our Guantanamo Bay prison camp. It is a black eye for our county," Carpenter said. "I have avoided that facility like the plague. For 30 years (the R&R Research deal) has been going on and nothing has changed. Today is the time to change. Make your people happy. If you are serious about voting your constituents' minds you won't even consider voting for this contract."
He called for establishing the "blue ribbon panel" to study the problems further and develop possible solutions for the commissioners to consider, including alternatives to the R&R Research contract.
"A committee could look at other sources of funding and bring options to you for your consideration," Carpenter said. "Unless we explore other options we're missing the boat and I don't believe anything will change unless we come up with some alternatives. You folks are too busy to research that."
Late proposal
Carr said he appreciated the idea of forming the committee but wished it had come earlier in the process.
"We've been discussing this issue for the last six months and nobody has come forward with any proposals," he said. "To wait until the meeting before the contract expires, isn't it kind of late to start inventing the wheel?"
District 1 Commissioner Ron Blanding hastily developed a framework for the committee after public comments ended. He called for a five- to seven-member panel, which later was increased to include seven to nine members.
Blanding named Carpenter, Greenville resident Frances Schuleit and another commissioner to serve on the committee. Carr will select the remaining members, hoping to strike a balance of people for and against the R&R Research contract.
Need to be balanced
"Most of the public comment today is, we need to start out with doing away with the contract with R&R and then we'll start making concessions," Carr said. "It would seem to me that for this blue ribbon commission to have an effect that it would need representation from all sides who are in favor of finding a middle road.
"I'm going to choose people I know are for it and against it," he said. "And for the odd number person I'm going to choose someone I know doesn't have an interest, like (County Controller-Administrator) Chris Hyzer."
Carr said committee members need to come prepared to negotiate openly and honestly.
"I'd like to caution anyone interested in being on that committee that it needs to have some give and take," he said. "We're going to need a group of people willing to work together in a civil manner."
The committee will report back to the commissioners at least every three months and will issue its final recommendations after six months.
R&R Research owner Jim Woudenberg said after the meeting that he hadn't made a final determination on whether he would agree to the six-month extension.
"I'm open to it and will consider it," he said. "I'm going to think about it. I've got a lot of questions that I will contact them about."
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Posted: Friday, February 06, 2009
Article comment by:
Diane Rogers
I have a dog from that shelter. We got Sandy in Feb of 1996 from one of the Adopt Me ads that the Daily News used to run. She was this beautiful blond-approx 6 month old pup and we fell in love with her picture. She is a wonderful dog, very loving...trouble spots, she is a runner so we have to take her out on a leash all the time. Also she ended up having sezures and had to be put on meds for the rest of her life. The doctor thinks she had a head injury of some kind. But regardless of these "faults" we love her so much and are grateful to have her. So please don't renew that contract - animals deserve better.
Posted: Sunday, February 01, 2009
Article comment by:
Joe
Has anyone ever seen that "Will work for cash" sign on M-66 between Sheridan and Ionia. That sign paints a large picture of our area -- there aren't any jobs and people are going hungry. All of this energy being focused on an the animal shelter is immature and a helpless tangent.
Our schools are going to crap, and a generation of our youth is moving out of the county/state. But, for some odd reason, we have to focus all of our activism and resources on the animal shelter, especially from people from outside the area.
Let's get our act together and focus on something that will enhance our creative energies and make Montcalm County in demand. We have something special here, we just need to focus our goals.
Posted: Friday, January 30, 2009
Article comment by:
Sandra L. Carlton
So Mr. Carr wishes the formation of a committee or panel would have come sooner in the process. Well so does Montcalm County Citizens for Animal Welfare! The creation of this panel had to come from the Commissioners! If anyone dropped the ball here it was the Board of Commissioners not those of us who have been going to Board of Commission meetings for nearly a year begging them to sit down and talk to us!!!! What Chairman Carr and other commissioners were hoping for was that we would shut-up and go- away! And when they saw we were not about to do that, and faced with a large number of people supporting our position, they scrambled to hastily put together a panel with little discussion and even less forethought. In addition Chairman Carr stated he did not want anyone on the panel who could not accept a "middle of the road" approach to the contract!
Our interpretation is that he wants to continue the contract in some form. There is no way we could except a modified contract. By the way, is County Controller Chris Hyzer a resident of Montcalm County?
Posted: Thursday, January 29, 2009
Article comment by:
Amy Packer-Schreiner
I'm sad to say i live in Montcalm County, I came to work this week & we have alot of people in my office that love animals I got the first degree! I have no children only 4 legged ones & I'm sick, even as a child i couldnt go by the shelter, It's gross & Sad! We need to stop this man from what he is doing? HEARTLESS, 6 months is a long time to decide what to do! 1 month should be more than enough!
Posted: Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Article comment by:
Melissa
If Woudenburg is "considering" this 6 month extension, then lets make this committe put HIM through hoops to get the dogs so that he is not interested in taking the contract.
Posted: Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Article comment by:
Susan Maguire
I keep reading and hearing the quote that Mr. Woudenberg only takes animals that are "unwanted and going to be euthanized", then why the issue with returning dogs or allowing rescues to take them instead? Three labs were taken for research a couple of weeks ago that rescues had homes for. Obviously, these dogs are not unwanted at that time.
Posted: Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Article comment by:
Suzanne
Why cant R&R be satisfied with the ones all ready euthanized? I dont think that would be objectionable in most peoples' eyes. I would just say to the committee and the commisioners that people are judged by how they care about animals. (and you can take THAT to the bank)
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