Members of the community were in attendance at the Sept. 19 meeting to voice their outrage about Ordinance 844, which would prohibit the feeding of feral cats in Fountain Hill Borough and recognize the right of residents to remove feral cats from their property and penalties for violations thereof. Martha Kahan, president of No Nonsense Neutering, gave a presentation to the council. Kahan said that No Nonsense Neutering is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

They have provided low cost spay/neuter for 10 years, and spay/neutered over 60,000 feral cats. There are currently four facilities, in Allentown, Hatfield, Mahanoy City and Reading. Kahan said she recognized that feral cats are a problem. “Feral cats are an ongoing issue and it never goes away, but we can deal with the problem,” said Kahan. The females will give birth three times a year, with three or four kittens per litter. This creates an over-abundance of feral cats. No Nonsense Neutering will work with people who are feeding the cats to get them fixed, vaccinated and then returned to their area. This is a community driven program that provides traps and volunteers to go out and asses situations. Kahan had some valid concerns, which the borough had not taken into consideration. If the ordinance passes as it stands, it would give residents the power to decide if a cat is feral or not. “Where would the feral cats be taken?”, Kahan asked. She said they would most likely be taken to another town or borough and then released. This has only moved the problem, not solved it. If a feral cat has been trapped for an extended period, a veterinarian will not take it and if the borough doesn’t have an agreement with a rescue or vet, there is nowhere to take the feral cats. No Nonsense Neutering will also provide cat deterrents free of charge for people who are looking to keep the cats away from their property. Kahan ended her presentation with this thought, “Working with No Nonsense Neutering would give more options to residents; please think about it.” For more information or how to get involved, visit their website: www.nnnlv.org or call 1-866-820-2510. “This is not a personal problem, but the borough’s problem,” said a resident from Tombler St. Council members Norman Blatt made a motion to table the ordinance to take another look at it, and the motion was seconded and passed.

The American Legion Post 406 of Fountain Hill will have a dedication of the Veterans Memorial on Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. at the Stanley Avenue Triangle. They will have a gathering afterward at the Epic Church. Memorial bricks can be purchased. For more information, visit www.fountainhill.org.

Council also passed ordinance 843, which makes disruptive conduct by an occupant or visitor of a residential rental property an enforcable offense.

Administrators and state groups met to discuss reconstruction of Ostrum Street, which could cost an estimated $4 million. The borough does not have this kind of money, and local legislaters had not responded to inquiries.