Monmouth County SPCA Gets Add'l $25K To Stop Feral Cat Overbreeding

EATONTOWN, NJ — In the 2022-23 fiscal year state budget — just signed by Gov. Phil Murphy last Thursday before he departed for a vacation in Italy — the Monmouth County SPCA will be given an additional $25,000 in direct aid.

This is in addition to the regular funding the Monmouth County SPCA receives from the state, according to state Sen. Vin Gopal, the Democrat who represents Long Branch and Eatontown in Trenton, and who helped secure the funding.

That $25,000 will specifically be used to continue programs that prevent the overbreeding of thousands of feral cats in Monmouth County. Monmouth County SPCA says it is leading the state with its Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program, which has been in place for years.

"Sen. Gopal has listened and understood our needs, especially in regards to the community cat issue,” said Monmouth County Commissioner Ross Licitra, a Republican, and executive director of the Monmouth County SPCA. "The impact of Senator Gopal’s support has prevented the overbreeding of thousands of feral cats."

Also included in the brand-new budget, the Long Branch Historical Museum Association received a $500,000 grant for the restoration of the Church of the Seven Presidents.

The Church of the Presidents honors the seven U.S. presidents who are associated with Long Branch: Prior American presidents Ulysses S. Grant, James Garfield, Rutherford Hayes, Chester Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley and Woodrow Wilson all spent time in Long Branch, especially when it was an elite summer vacation destination in the late 1800s, and those men are the namesakes for Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park.

Gopal also obtained a $250,000 grant for the church last year and says the funding brings the historic church closer to re-opening its doors to the public as a museum.

“We've already addressed many of the building’s structural deficiencies and restored its exterior siding, roofing, bell tower, leaders and gutters, and the tower added to the building in 1893,” said historical association president Jim Foley. “The remaining components needed to be resolved include the interior woodwork and trim, the reinstallation of wood flooring, electrical, heating and cooling, security and sprinkler systems and the restoration of the stain glass windows and door."

“It is a site of extraordinary historical significance for New Jersey and for the United States as whole, as it was visited by seven U.S. Presidents,” said Long Branch Mayor John Pallone, a Democrat.

“Once opened, the museum wishes to fulfill its mission of teaching thousands of students annually as they visit the site," added Foley. "This funding will help get the church closer to having the youth of New Jersey learn about the rich history of the property."