Apr 24, 2003 By Steve Ferris 4 min read

Fayette Friends of Animals will know within 45 days whether it will receive a zoning use variance needed to move its rescue and adoption center for dogs and cats to a new location along Hopwood-Coolspring Road in North Union Township. The Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board held a hearing Wednesday on the non-profit organization’s petition for a use variance to operate its center out of a garage, which is a vehicle inspection station along Hopwood-Coolspring Road owned by Joseph and Pamela Trusio.

The garage and a small house are in a four-acre section of the 18-acre Trusio property, Fayette Friends’ board member Evelyn Hovanec said. The four acres front the road and is zoned for general business (B-1). The rear 14 acres is wooded and zoned for agriculture.

Fayette Friends’ sales agreement with the Trusios is contingent upon approval of the use variance, Hovanec said.

While Hovanec, the Trusios and others testified in favor of the use variance, Charles Scott, who lives adjacent to the property, said he opposed the variance because he believes the animal shelter would create odor and noise.

Zoning Hearing Board Chairman Mark Morrison said the board would issue its ruling within 45 days.

Under questioning by Fayette Friends attorney Gary Frankhouser, Hovanec said the organization has been renting a facility – a former pet grooming business – at 1290 Connellsville Street for two years.

With four part-time employees and 30 to 40 volunteers, it accommodates 15 to 20 dogs and 15 to 20 cats, but the number of dogs and cats would eventually double if the organization relocates to the proposed facility, she said.

The concrete block garage is “huge” and the animals would be kept in indoor kennels most of the time. Volunteers walk the dogs on leashes three times a day, she said.

The shelter accepts abused animals and all are spayed or neutered and given any required vaccinations or medical treatment. Local retail stores donate pet food. The shelter also has a no-kill policy.

“I think we run a public service for the county,” Hovanec said. “We live off donations and get grants and run fund-raisers.”

Responding to a question for ZHB member Charles Ciesznyski, Hovanec said animal droppings would be disposed of in plastic bags to eliminate possible odor problems. Plastic bags are used at the current shelter, which is in a more densely populated area, and neighbors have never complained about odors, she said.

Responding to a question from Morrison, she said the organization receives no government or agency funding. Donations and fund-raisers would be used to pay the mortgage, bills and salaries at the new facility. All employees are paid the minimum wage, Hovanec said.

The organization applied for a $165,000 loan to buy the Trusio property and has just less than one third of that sum for the down payment, she said.

Fayette Friends does not have any contracts with municipalities to take runaway pets, she said.

People are asked for donations when they leave pets at the facility. People who adopt dogs are asked to donate $75 and those who adopt cats are asked to give $60.

Responding to a question from Scott’s attorney Jason Adams, Hovanec said the animals are left unattended only after the shelter closes at 9 p.m. and until it opens at 7 a.m.

Susanne Smith, who lives next door to the current shelter, said the facility does not create noise, odor or traffic problems.

Pam Trusio said she and her husband had the front four acres rezoned to B-1 in the 1970s so they could run a trucking business from the garage. They’ve operated an auto inspection business there for the last several years.

If the garage were turned into an animal shelter, it would create an odor problem on hot summer days, Scott said. He said noise from barking dogs would also be a problem.

He said he had a petition with two pages of signatures of residents who also oppose the pet shelter.

However, Morrison did not accept it as evidence because none of the people who signed it attended the hearing to verify their signatures or addresses. He said the petition would be included in the hearing record.

Scott also said he worries about people leaving animals at the shelter at night when it is closed to avoid giving donations.

Hovanec said that happened three times in the last two years, but abandoning animals at shelters is a problem all shelters deal with occasionally.

“We intent to be good neighbors,” she said, noting that the animals are washed regularly and the shelter will address any concern neighbors might raise.