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| R&R Research opinions | County commissioners and ad hoc committee members are mixed on whether the recommendations should be adopted in their current form:
• "I think they will make the shelter more than a place for animals to go before they are sent to research or euthanized. If the commissioners approve them then I believe those changes will continue and then the sky's the limit." - Committee member Dr. Randy Carpenter, Greenville.
• "I believe the plan that is being submitted to the Board of Commissioners has some merit. However, there are some glaring questions that I feel have to be addressed prior to adoption. If the committee had taken a little more time to clarify these issues I may have supported the proposal." - Committee member S. Michael Scott, Howard City.
• "I don't want to get to the point where that committee is running the shelter. I think the Board of Commissioners should have control over making all decisions." - District 1 Commissioner Ron Blanding, Greenville, on ensuring that the proposed Citizens Advisory Board and Medical Advisory Board don't get too much power.
• "We're looking at a tight budget for next year. To say we're going to be able to afford all of this is going to be tough." - District 3 Commissioner Ron Retzloff, Crystal.
• "I can't go that way until I see proof. They would have to figure out a way to make the money better for the county. A lot of little things would have to add up more than they do now. There's nothing concrete now." - District 5 Commissioner Carl Paepke, Pierson.
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4/18/2009 12:44:00 AM
R&R Research decision looms
Commissioners consider shelter plan April 27
Ryan Jeltema
News Editor
STANTON - More than a week before an official vote, some Montcalm County commissioners are confident the end is near for R&R Research's relationship with the County Animal Shelter.
Commissioners will consider a set of recommendations from the Animal Shelter Ad Hoc Committee for how to improve the facility on April 27. They include ending the shelter's 30-year relationship with R&R Research, which a vocal group of residents has sought for several years.
"They're going to get what they want," Chairman and District 7 Commissioner Patrick Q. Carr said of residents opposing the contract. "There's no doubt in my mind that the commissioners will take that recommendation and end the contract."
District 1 Commissioner Ron Blanding said he has polled his colleagues informally on the issue and is confident that six or seven commissioners will vote to end the contract.
"We won't get them all but we'll probably get all but three or so," Blanding said.
The only question in his mind is whether commissioners will end the contract immediately on April 27 or wait until late June, six months after commissioners granted a temporary contract extension while the ad hoc committee completed its work.
Blanding believes the contract should end on April 27, because the motion for the temporary extension indicates it would when the ad hoc committee presented recommendations to commissioners.
Disappointment
with process
R&R Research has operated under five-year contracts with the county for about 30 years. Carr said the contract renewals have been contentious before, but never as bad as this year.
"This time has definitely been the most energy that has been put into it than any time," he said. "Five years ago it kind of flew through without much fanfare. The time before that a group of people got heated up and were going to make a proposal. But on the drop-dead day they just weren't around."
R&R Research owner Jim Woudenberg agreed that the process has been more exhausting this year but still worthwhile.
"Some of the things that are worth fighting for are tough," he said.
Carr is disappointed that opponents of the contract weren't open to other ideas. He said other proposals were presented, such as soliciting bids from other Class B animals dealers to take over the R&R Research contract, but the opponents didn't seriously consider them.
"It's been an uphill battle to get any compromise," Carr said. "They just don't want pound release. If we were dealing with anyone else they still wouldn't be happy.
"I think there was room to make changes that would be palatable to both sides but they just weren't willing to budge," he added. "It's unfortunate that we weren't able to make a compromise that could have gotten us moving in a different direction."
Carr doesn't believe the ad hoc committee's recommendations represent the mainstream view in the county.
"They are a small group in the county, not representative of my constituents at all," he said of R&R Research opponents. "This might be a little bit of voting for the squeaky wheel. This is not exactly what I hoped for or what my constituents want but I'm not going to gum about it anymore."
While he supports the recommendations, Blanding said opponents of R&R Research have "gone too far" in expressing their point of view.
"I get 100 e-mails a day and they all say the same thing," he said. "It just blocks up my whole computer."
Tough decisions
District 3 Commissioner Ron Retzloff said the R&R Research contract will be the first issue to decide, then he expects commissioners to deal with the other recommendations individually. He expects some will be referred to the Law Enforcement and Courts Committee, which oversees the shelter.
Woudenberg realizes commissioners are facing some tough decisions and feels "sympathetic" for them.
"They have put a tremendous amount of time into this," he said. "It's a very emotional issue. They're getting a lot of information and lot of it is from outside the county. I would just ask them, would you rather see a dog euthanized or go to life-saving research?"
Woudenberg said he won't be forced to go out of business without the Montcalm County contract but it would adversely affect his business. After losing contracts with several other Michigan counties over the past several years he knows what to expect.
"It'll be an adjustment," Woudenberg said. "I won't know until it happens. As I've lost shelters, I've always adjusted."
He said the demand for random source animals like the ones he takes from the shelter is steadily declining anyway.
"Research has always been about the three R's - reduce animals, refine procedures and replace them with studies that don't use animals," Woudenberg said. "The demand goes down every year and it has gone down every year I've been in business. But there is still demand."
Woudenberg is confident commissioners will make the right decision.
"I have great faith that our elected officials will make a decision that benefits their constituents, protects their interests, provides cost savings and results in more cures, treatments and procedures for them and their animals' health," he said.
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Posted: Saturday, April 25, 2009
Article comment by:
Nancy
Kelly, if you read all the articles and posts in this paper, wzzmtv13 and woodtv8 you will get a clearer idea of the entire situation.Once pound seizure stops there will be more help from the public and rescue groups. When people work together for a good cause, only good can come from it. I predict groups getting together to make the shelter a place to be proud of. They can have auctions, bake sales, adopt-a-thons, pet parades, etc to make funds to make the shelter a more comfortable place for animals and the public. With public support there will be more adoptions and you'll be surprised at how few animals will actually be left to be euthanized. When it comes right down to it, I would prefer euthanization (an easy, peaceful death) to a so called "life" of horrors being in research. Do some research of your own and see for yourself how the animals are treated during transportation to the testing facility....that's only the beginning of the horror.
Posted: Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Article comment by:
Can Guarantee
I can see right now that the citizens are DONE dealing with Carr as much as they are R&R. If the contract is renewed, I can clearly see an end to a commissioners office term REAL QUICK...something that should be considered if you are sitting comfortably now, you may want to keep it that way by DOING YOUR JOB!!!
Posted: Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Article comment by:
Matthew
"Carr is disappointed that opponents of the contract weren't open to other ideas. He said other proposals were presented, such as soliciting bids from other Class B animals dealers to take over the R&R Research contract, but the opponents didn't seriously consider them." WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING CARR? This is about pound seizure. The people have spoken. They don't want it. WHY ARE YOU NOT LISTENING?
Posted: Sunday, April 19, 2009
Article comment by:
Mary Ellen Snyder
"They are a small group in the county, not representative of my constituents at all" says Mr. Carr. But where are all those people who say they're in favor of the contract? He had to appoint Woudenberg himself to the committee in order to find someone to represent the "renewing the contract" side of the equation. Even if those "constituents" truly existed who believe in the contract, they apparently don't feel strongly enough about it to show up at the meetings and voice their opinions.
Posted: Sunday, April 19, 2009
Article comment by:
Matthew
"It'll be an adjustment," Woudenberg said. "I won't know until it happens. As I've lost shelters, I've always adjusted."
He said the demand for random source animals like the ones he takes from the shelter is steadily declining anyway.
So Commissioner Carr and Paekpe....why are you hanging on to this exactly???
Posted: Saturday, April 18, 2009
Article comment by:
Eileen Burr-Stanton
If R&R has lost several contracts with several other Michigan counties wouldn't the obvious question be why did he lose them? Do citizens not like his type of business where there is no accountability offered for methods of operation? Has the need for these animals gone down so far class B dealers are no longer needed? Do all the violations have anything to do with it? Is there a more cost effective way to do the same services with better results? Go the the April 27 commissioners meeting in Stanton at 1:00 and judge for yourself.
Posted: Saturday, April 18, 2009
Article comment by:
EXCITED THE DAY IS COMING
To Mr. Carr:
I wish that YOU would stop saying that this is not what the majority of constiuents want...you complained that no one was there 5yrs ago to show lack of support, so this time they showed up and you complained we stood there...you say there are others FOR R&R but THEY ARE NOT STANDING THERE SAYING IT~you and Woudy don't cut it to be the majority. The Majority HAS SPOKEN and you are upset that it is not in YOUR favor
Posted: Saturday, April 18, 2009
Article comment by:
Mike Boerman
I guarantee you that if we took a county-wide vote TODAY on this issue, the people wanting to extend the contract with R&R Research wouldn't be more than 5-10% of the population. The couple of lone commissioners who tell themselves otherwise are only fooling themsleves. This is an issue where the people have clearly spoken. Patrick Carr's bizarre claim that we're a "small vocal group" is complete and utter bull, since every public meeting on the topic seems to be about 3-4 people supporting the contract with R&R, and 100-120 people voting to END the contract. Maybe he's not too good with math, or numbers, or observation even....but foolishly claiming that we are "not representative of his constituents" is ignorant at best, and delusional at worst. How about the county ends its contract with Patrick Carr? :)
Posted: Saturday, April 18, 2009
Article comment by:
Sandra L. Carlton
I truly hope those commissioners who believe the contract with a class B dealer will be ended soon are right.
Their is no question that pound release is detrimental to the animals, but it is also detrimental to the animal control department and the community. The National Association of Animal Control Officers and the Michigan Association of Animal Control Officers both discourage it sighting its negative effect on public trust which hinders efforts to provide effective animal control in the community. So, Commissioner Carr is right when he states that we would not accept any class B dealer. This has never been about one particular dealer. It has always been about the practice in general which we believe has too many loopholes and too little tranparency and accountability.
One of Commissioner Carr's statements needs to be clarified. He said the county has had 5-year contracts with the dealer for about 30 years. That is not true. From 1977 - 1993 the county reviewed and renewed the contract on a yearly basis. In 1993, the county decided to extend the contracrt to 3 years. Then in 1999 the contract was extended to 5 years. One might wonder why I bother to bring this up. I bring this up because the duration of the contract was extended for the worse reason any representative governmental body could have, -- it was extended as a tool to quiet the people and discourage them from redressing this grievance to their government. It was, in fact, adopted as a means to limit our First Amendment rights. While it may not appear in the meeting minutes, this reason was the only reason offered by the commission before the vote to extend the contract to 5 years took place. The reason for this decision is appalling, but the decision, especially when you read the contract which was written by the dealer, is also dangerous as our contract actually extends beyond his license to operate which must be reviewed and renewed annually by the USDA.
Just one more glaring error made by Commissioner Carr. Perhaps there was no proposal 5 years ago, but in 1996 the commission was presented with a lengthy proposal complete with cost analyses and a way to fund the suggestions through a slight increase in license fees. The proposal was dismissed by the board except for the suggestion to raise the license fees. Ironically, the proposals made by the Ad Hoc Committee closely resemble those proposals made 13 years ago. I wonder where our county might be had the commissioners taken a serious look at our proposal in 1996.
Posted: Saturday, April 18, 2009
Article comment by:
kelly
I dont understand why people continue complaining about the R&R research. People get dogs all the time then the decide for rediculous reasons that they dont want them.So they end up in these small communities like montcalm,and gratiot where they sell to R&R.Small communities donot have the costomers to purchase there dogs like the big communities do.What would you like done with these dogs if you cant find them good homes they just sit on them until ther euthanized. I feel there in a bad prictiment right now. And there not sure which way to turn. Give them time to improve.This stuff didnt happen over night.Nor will it be taken care of in a day.They cant afford the nice faucility that mt. pleasent has.please takes these things into consideration.There are many things that have to be looked over before judging them.
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