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 council. Kahan said 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 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 and four kittens per litter. This creates an overabundance of feral cats. No Nonsense Neutering will work with people who are feeding the cats to get them neutered, 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 passed as it stood, it would give residents the power to decide if a cat was 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 veteranarians will not take it and if the borough doesn’t have an agreement with a rescue or vet there is nowhere to take the 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 boroughs problem,” said a resident from Tombler St. Council member Norman Blatt made a motion to table the ordinance to take another look at it and the motion was seconded and passed.

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

Council passed an ordinance adding a disruptive conduct clause to residential rental properties, making it an offense for occupants or visitors.

Council President Larry Rapp, Executive Administrator, Anthony Branco, UGI, Penndot, Hanover Engineering, and representatives of St. Luke’s Hospital all met to discuss the reconstruction of Ostrum St. This could cost an estimated 4 million dollars. The borough does not have this kind of money. They have sent requests to Senator Bob Casey and Pat Toomey’s offices for assistance, as well as state representative Jeanne McNeil and Senator Lisa Boscola. No response has been received yet.