JULY
30 2021
Kathryn Ross In Willing, residents get their first look at the boundaries in their town for the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan for the Genesee River in Allegany County. Photo provided The Allegany County SPCA has always dealt with a large number of cats and kittens. At the old shelter they were housed in cages. At the new SPCA shelter, cats and kittens have their own condos and porches.
Ideas ramble for Genesee River
SPCA Serving Allegany County marking its 110th year BY KATHRYN ROSS BELMONT — The SPCA Serving Allegany County is marking another milestone in its long history of helping animals. This year the local organization is 110 years old. The brand-new shiny shelter on the hill north of the village of Belmont got its start a few miles west in the town of Cuba. The national ASPCA was founded in 1866 in New York City to deal with cruelty cases involving horses. The Allegany County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1911 in Cuba when local animal lovers became concerned about the treatment of livestock. According to the first
secretary’s book from that time, the group was primarily concerned with the humane treatment of cows and horses. One of the new organization’s first cases was an investigation of the conditions in which stock was shipped and cared for on the Pennsylvania Railroad. During that first year, 20 cases of cruelty were investigated, resulting in four fines. After several meetings, a group calling itself the Humane Society of Cuba, incorporated on Sept. 26, 1911, officially dubbed itself the Allegany County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. While the first meetings had been held in the Palmer Opera House, members continued meeting monthly in the firehall. The
group was still meeting in Cuba during World War II. Historical data is murky, but sometime after the end of World War II the group moved its meetings to Friendship and, by the late 1970s, it was headquartered in Belmont. By the early 1980s, the organization was meeting in Wellsville, where members built their first permanent shelter. “They did the same things then that we are doing now. They investigated cases of cruelty,” said Lynda Pruski, director of the local SPCA. “They conducted educational programs in the schools. They promoted responsible pet ownership and spaying and neutering dogs and cats, and they promoted bringing animals inside when it is cold.
“They needed volunteers,” she said. “They held fundraisers to support their programs and the care of animals because, as it is today, the SPCA is supported only by donations, grants and bequests and does not receive funding from taxes or local governments.” She also noted that while the organization’s efforts are more based on canines and felines, it is still involved with investigations of the neglect of horses and other livestock. Construction on the first shelter began in 1985 with the help of students from the Alfred State College Building and Trades Department. Located in Stannards, it was finished with the help of the Boy Scouts, Kiwanis Club
SPCA 110th Year continued... page 5
Over last month, residents suggested river projects BY KATHRYN ROSS
of the road show. In town and village halls, grange halls, community buildings and pavilions, representatives Andy Martin and Matt Ingalls have explained the purpose of the LWRP, answered questions and, most importantly, asked for input from community members. While they have received some interesting suggestions, the two themes from Willing to Hume have repeatedly been erosion control and streambank restoration along the Genesee. Martin and Ingalls have explained that the LWRP is no more than a plan funded by the state and the 10 local communities are involved to provide easier access to grant funds when they become available. “If it is in an LWRP,” Martin explained at every meeting, “It is more likely to get funded.”
WELLSVILLE — Allegany County’s river towns all have the same concern about the Genesee River, but some are coming up with creative and innovative ideas for the Southern Genesee Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. For the past two weeks, representatives from the Ingalls Planning and Design Firm of Rochester have been conducting a “road show” for the 10 communities in Allegany County that are part of the LWRP. The firm is tasked with developing the LWRP plan — it has been working on it since 2019, but efforts were interrupted by the pandemic. The firm’s managers hope to have the plan submitted to the state for review by early summer 2022. Mike Kane and Laura Evans of Prospect Hill, who will execute the map and work on environmental issues, were also part Genesee River continued...... page 5
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