Off Newsbreak.

TEMPLETON ― An expired lease and the DPW's need for office and locker space has created a hot button issue, as the facility that houses Ahimsa Haven Animal Rescue was on the Feb. 22 Select Board agenda as a possible use for the Department of Public Works.

Nicole Roberts, president of Ahimsa, said she was concerned because she had not been invited to participate in the preliminary discussions among town officials that had prompted the item to appear on the Select Board’s agenda.

“Nor were we invited to the meeting,” Roberts said, adding that the shelter has occupied the space since 2013.

But Ahimsa officials and town officials, including Town Administrator Adam Lamontagne and DPW Director Bob Szocik, did meet a few weeks later to discuss the issue, according to Lamontagne.

“We had a meeting that I thought went exceptionally well,” Lamontagne said. “I said that (Ahimsa) had an expired lease, and the DPW director just wanted to share his thoughts with the board – it was just a discussion item on the agenda, there was no action. There was no indication from any of the Select Board members that they would not want to continue (Ahimsa’s) lease.”

Town officials expect to renew shelter's expired lease

Lamontagne added that because the facility is town property, of which the Select Board is a custodian, any discussion about the facility must be held during a public hearing. He said the discussion at the Select Board meeting had primarily involved Szocik expressing his concerns about the need for more office and locker room space for the DPW.

“I don’t know how the impression got out there that the Select Board was looking to throw (Ahimsa) out,” Lamontagne said, adding that the shelter’s lease had been expired for several years. “At the very least, we need to update the lease.”

Following the meeting between Ahimsa and town officials, Ahimsa officials took to social media to post their concerns about the possibility of the facility’s lease not being renewed by the Select Board. They urged followers to attend the Select Board’s March 22 meeting and make their support for the shelter known to officials.

“Can you imagine letting an animal suffer or putting them to sleep because of budget restrictions and the inability to help financially?” a post on the shelter’s Facebook page read. “Ahimsa is a very important part of the community, helping cats and residents.”

Lamontagne said that he had been disappointed that Ahimsa officials had written the post after what he felt had been a very positive and productive meeting with all parties involved.

“We had a very nice discussion, and I was shocked to hear of the post when I heard about it from a Select Board member and another town employee – for that to be thrown out there, I think, is disingenuous,” he said, describing the post as an “overreaction.” “(The situation) just spiraled into this thing, and quite frankly, on social media some people don’t understand the full situation and they misinterpret it.”

Lamontagne added that he hoped Ahimsa officials would consider not posting further messages on social media while negotiations on renewing the facility’s lease are ongoing.

“I think it’s important we establish some ground rules before such negotiations occur between Ahimsa and the town,” he said.

Social media posts intended to raise awareness about Ahimsa's mission

But Roberts, who agreed that the meeting between Ahimsa and town officials had been a productive one, said the intention behind the post was to raise awareness about the crucial role the shelter plays throughout the region, and the importance of renewing its lease.

“It is a board decision, and you never know how a board is going to vote, so we reached out to seek community support and to let the community know what’s going on,” she explained. “I felt that the more support we have and the more people have a chance to get to know us and know what an asset we are to the community, the better.”

Roberts said she is optimistic that the town’s Select Board will decide to renew Ahimsa’s lease and ensure the shelter can continue its mission to help animals across the region.

“We want to continue to be in Templeton and do what we do, working with the town, leasing their building, and helping area communities as well as our own community,” she said.