North Hempstead residents press town board for municipal cat shelter, cite full rescues and unused reserves

Dozens of residents urged the Town of North Hempstead on July 1 to create a municipal cat shelter and expand spay/neuter services, arguing volunteer rescues and regional shelters are overwhelmed.

Local volunteers described nightly and seasonal work trapping, feeding and transporting animals and said that without a shelter or accessible sterilization services the problem will continue to grow. Pete Gaffney, a Westbury resident, reported sizable informal caregiving efforts in his area and said town enforcement and infrastructure issues — from parking to signage — compound the problem for rescuers.

The appeal gained its sharpest financial point from Stewart Kroll, who said the town has "an excess of $30,000,000 in their capital reserve fund" and questioned why municipal resources and available matching grants had not been used to establish a shelter. Kroll said companion-animal grant programs he discussed with state officials include a municipal match of roughly 10% and a potential maximum award of $500,000 per year, and he asked why the town had not applied in larger amounts to accelerate shelter development.

Other speakers described the operational limits of nearby organizations. Kroll and other commenters said the North Shore Animal League accepts limited types of cats — mainly socialized kittens — and does not serve many feral or injured adult cats, leaving local rescuers to provide medical care and rehoming on their own. One speaker summarized the practical need: rescuers must be able to spay and neuter animals quickly to prevent cycles of reproduction that create more litters and more strain on volunteers and rescues.

Several residents tied the issue to elected promises and political accountability. Liz Diamond (also identifying as Wendy Bonczyk/Bonsek) said she had supported Supervisor DeSenna in a prior election because DeSenna promised to back a cat shelter; Diamond told the board the promise had not been kept and called the situation "truly an emergency." Louise Lamanna described personally feeding "40 to 50 cats once a week" during the summer as part of volunteer efforts and asked the town to provide a dependable facility for stray and surrendered animals.

Speakers proposed specific steps: apply for state/federal companion-animal grants that include a town match, create or fund an accessible spay/neuter program, and locate a municipal facility to provide intake and medical care for injured or feral cats. Many emphasized cooperation with volunteers and rescues rather than leaving the work entirely to the town.

The board did not take formal action on the shelter during the meeting; public comment concluded and the board proceeded to its agenda. Several speakers asked staff and the supervisor’s office for follow-up contact and in-person site visits to Westbury Avenue to review parking and signage issues that intersect with animal-welfare work.

The town clerk closed public comment and the board moved on to the scheduled agenda items.