Demonstrators Push For New Animal Shelter in North Providence

NORTH PROVIDENCE, RI — Protesters carried signs and rallied along Mineral Spring Avenue on Sunday to demand that a new animal shelter be built.

Several women organized the event outside the Public Safety Complex to highlight their campaign. On social media, organizers blamed town officials, including Mayor Lombardi, for delays and inaction on replacing the current animal shelter, saying it's now been seven years since the project was first discussed.

The current shelter on Smithfield Road, shared with Johnston, is out of compliance with Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management standards, and advocates say conditions there are unacceptable.

“Conditions are deplorable inside and out,” organizer Karen Vaillancourt said on Facebook. “This should not be acceptable to anyone in the Town, especially animal lovers. The (animal control officer) has to work out of this building and the poor, innocent dogs and cats are placed there as necessary.”

The idea for building a new shelter was first raised in 2014.

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According to The Valley Breeze, Lombardi expressed sympathy for the cause and for the protesters. The mayor said final drawings for the shelter arrived late last week, but that it’s still going to take time.

North Providence is partnering with Johnston and Smithfield on the shelter. Organizers said other project funding should from the police department’s 2012 settlement with Google.