Edison Animal Shelter to undergo 'green' renovations Grant will let facility be first 'green' animal shelter in New Jersey BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer EDISON - The Edison Animal Shelter will be getting a $100,000 face-lift thanks to a county grant that was unanimously approved during a Jan. 9 Township Council meeting. The grant, coming out of the Sustainable Economic Growth Improvement Fund,will turn the building into the first environmentally sustainable, "green" animal shelter in the state of New Jersey. Chris Mazaukas, resource development author for the township and the one who wrote the request for the grant, said the money will pay for a variety of improvements to the shelter that will improve conditions for both the staff and the animals, as well as being ecologically friendly. Specifically, themoneywill be used to replace existing lighting with energy-efficient lights; replace the plumbing with special water-conserving fixtures; remove the existing hot water heater and furnace, which is powered by oil, with a high-efficiency gas heater; replace all the windows and doors with high-efficiency insulated ones; replace the existing skylights with a thermal-pane remote-controlmodel; install high-efficiency ceiling fans in several rooms, and replace the heating systems with energy-efficient models. In addition, resources will also go into weatherproofing. Mazaukas stated that the skylight, which will be able to be opened during the summer to let the air flowthroughmore easily, will have blinds. The roofmay also be fitted with photovoltaic solar energy panels, depending on whether he can secure an additional grant fromthe Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other county and state organizations. During the council meeting, Edison resident Mary Anne Hennessey expressed her approval of the renovations to the animal shelter, but also asked that the grant writer pursue funding for an air-conditioning system, saying that the building becomes very hot in the summer. Business administrator Anthony Cancro, who, according to Mazaukas, first brought up the possibility of improvements to the shelter, said that air conditioning was not feasible for the building due to its design. Mazaukas later said that the building does get rather warm in the summer months, but said that the improvements, slated to begin in August this year, should help improve things, even without air conditioning. "We'll be able to open the windows and roof, and with the fans, air will circulate more naturally," saidMazaukas. The Edison Animal Shelter served over 2,100 animals- mostly dogs, cats and wild animals - last year, and since opening in 1985, it has shelteredmore than 50,000 animals. It shelters and provides animal control services not only to Edison but also to Metuchen, Piscataway and South Plainfield. More than 2,600 people a year come to visit the animal shelter,mostly service providers and those seeking to adopt stray cats and dogs. "I think it's a good initiative, a good project. We appreciate the county's support on this and know the county is behind a lot of green, sustainable activities, and they have been very helpful in developing this grant. With this,we are going to be able to conserve water, electricity, fuel, heat fuel, as well as make the environment better for staff, animals and visitors,"Mazaukas said.