Andrew Dickson of the Ripley Hawk Watch, speaks to the Town of Ripley council to voice opposition to a proposed wind farm in the area.

RIPLEY — Town council members learned at their meeting last month that efforts are underway to seek a collaborative grant with the towns of French Creek, Mina and Clymer in order to construct a facility to house stray animals.

Supervisor Laura K. Pless told those assembled at the meeting that council members Phil Chimera and Lee Swoap were working on a temporary solution to house dogs and cats, in order to comply with the New York State mandate for the sheltering of animals.

The mandate requires that shelters are sanitary, ensure proper nutrition and that all animals receive appropriate veterinary care. “The state has pretty strict guidelines about how dogs can be sheltered,” Pless said.

Pless said town representatives met with a grant writer who informed them they would have a much better chance of receiving a grant if it was going to be a shared service among municipalities. “Either way, we are going to apply for grant money, but if we can get the other municipalities to go in with us, we have a much better shot at it,” she said.

If a collaborative grant were to be awarded, the municipalities would build a shelter at a central location, which all of them could use, Pless said. “The time frame is pretty quick; we must apply (this month),” she said.

In other business, Town Clerk Ryleigh Enterline told board members that she and Trista Brown have been in contact with the Cintas Co. to discuss options about replacing the rugs at the entrance to the town building. The current rugs, according to Brown, are in very bad shape.

Enterline said that Cintas put together a package that costs approximately $2,000 per year in which rugs will be rotated and cleaning supplies will be provided. Pless said she would meet with Brown and Enterline “to see what we absolutely need.”

During the privilege of the floor segment of the meeting, council members received a letter presented by Andrew Dickson who belongs to the Ripley Hawk Watch, which is affiliated with the Hawk Migration Association of North America.

The letter expresses strong opposition to the proposed wind farm which would be built by Dewdrop Wind, LLC and Bedrock Renewables in the Ripley area. The letter states that the Town of Ripley has a unique natural phenomenon which must be protected.

“Each spring thousands of migratory birds pass through Ripley,” the letter said. “Lake Erie diverts birds on the northerly migration along its south shore. The steep ridge, running parallel to Lake Erie on its southern shore, comes closest to Lake Erie and Ripley and concentrates the migration for easy observation.”

The letter, addressed to the Town of Ripley, concludes with “Please do not allow the Dewdrop Wind Farm and avoid the disturbance of this important flyway and unique natural phenomenon and the likely mortality of local and migrating birds.”