Tri-Town animal shelter opens

Former Mayor Joseph M. Polisena pitched the idea to the town council.

The proposal: help to build a state-of-the-art animal shelter in a neighboring town, share expenses and space.

“Quite frankly, if we had to build a building, it would probably cost at least a million and a half or more, by the time we found the land,” former Mayor Polisena told Town Council at its December 2021 meeting. “Guess where we have to go looking for the land. Probably near the landfill. You can’t put this in a neighborhood obviously. And the land up there is not cheap. That’s for sure.”

A year and a half later, the shelter has been constructed and now it’s ready to house the estranged domestic pets of three Ocean State towns.

Last Thursday, Polisena and his son, the current mayor of Johnston, Joseph M. Polisena Jr., attended a ribbon-cutting for the new facility at 900 Smithfield Road in North Providence.

“All three municipalities contributed $456,000, and will each equally contribute one-third of the expenses,” Polisena explained earlier this week. “This is a great opportunity for Johnston to fully utilize a state-of-the-art facility while only paying one-third of the costs.”

Johnston’s Animal Control Division is part of the Johnston Police Department's Special Services Bureau and staffed by two Animal Control Officers (ACO), Richard Starnino and Richard Sousa.

“The state of the art facility is home to Johnston, Smithfield, and North Providence Animal Control officers,” according to an online post on the town’s official social media accounts. “These ACOs designed the facility after visiting several shelters across the state.”

Town and department websites have been updated to reflect the recent changes.

“The Town of Johnston does not maintain a local, full-time, Animal Shelter however it shares … North Providence's facility … (401-719-1516),” according to a message signed by Starnino and Sousa. “Please call the facility for any other inquiries.”

Johnston's ACOs handle “all issues regarding only Domesticated Animals,” the message continues.

Residents are instructed to send “all wild Animal calls … to the RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM, 401-222-6800, www.dem.ri.gov) and all rodent calls must be made to your private rodent removal company.”

“If you suspect a domesticated and/or wild animal may be rabid, you may contact the Johnston Police Department to assess the potential public safety concern (401-231-8100).”

The spirit of sharing may also bolster Johnston’s ability to respond to animal control issues in town during a wider scope of hours.

“Not only will we share in expenses Johnston residential will also now be covered by Smithfield and North Providence Animal Control Officers, so we anticipate services being even better,” Polisena explained. “Most importantly, animals brought to the shelter will be in better conditions than they were previously. This is a new venture for all three municipalities so I’m sure there will be a learning curve and adjustments that need to be made, however, all three municipalities are fully bought in to this plan so I expect it to go very well.”

To conclude Johnston’s official statement on the animal shelter, Polisena’s administration thanked Johnston’s “council members for their assistance and support, as well as former Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena Sr., North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi, Smithfield Town Manager Randy Rossi, and each community’s police departments.”

Each town will be responsible for a third of the overhead costs, including monthly utility payments.

“You split it three ways,” the elder Polisena said in 2021. “I think it’s a win-win.”

RIBBON SNIPPED: North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi cut the ribbon on the newly opened Tri-Town Animal Shelter at 900 Smithfield Road in North Providence. Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee helped hold the ribbon as Lombardi sliced it with a pair of ceremonial shears.

VISION FRUITION: Former Johnston Mayor Joseph M. Polisena and his son, the current mayor of Johnston, Joseph M. Polisena Jr., were in attendance. (Screenshots from video posted online by the Town of Johnston)