Courtesy ACC
On September 10, New York City opened the Paul A. Vallone Queens Animal Care Center, its first full-service animal shelter in the borough, offering advanced amenities for up to 300 animals.
MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
In a landmark development for animal welfare, the City opened its first-ever full-service animal shelter in Queens on September 10. The Paul A. Vallone Queens Animal Care Center, located at 1906 Flushing Avenue in Ridgewood, aims to enhance the City’s support for its four-legged residents and their human companions.
Spanning 50,000 square feet, the new facility is designed to accommodate up to 300 animals and features state-of-the-art amenities including a kitten nursery, outdoor dog play yards, open roam cat rooms, a wellness wing for sick animals, and private counseling rooms for pet owners. The building also boasts a retractable roof to ensure a healthy environment for its residents.
The Paul A. Vallone Queens Animal Care Center, named in honor of the late Paul Vallone, a former New York City Council member and advocate for animal welfare, represents a significant expansion of the City’s animal care infrastructure. Vallone, who also served as deputy commissioner for external affairs at the Department of Veterans Services, was recognized for his contributions to improving conditions for animals in New York City.
“Paul Vallone was a longtime friend, but, more importantly, a true public servant who served our city throughout his career,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. “Paul was a committed advocate for veterans, serving those who have served our country, and fought to protect those most in need, including animals. The Paul A. Vallone Queens Animal Care Center will forever cement his legacy to public service, creating a space for Queens residents to find support and resources to help them keep their pets, and to learn more about helping animals in need.”
“We are so proud of Paul and everything he accomplished,” Anna-Marie Vallone, wife of the late Paul Vallone said. “He will continue to spread the gift of unconditional love to animals and families for generations to come. With heartfelt gratitude, our family has wanted a shelter in every borough for years and Paul was able to make this a reality. With lots of empathy, kindness, and compassion, Paul made this world a better place. Like my daughter, Lea said, ‘I cannot think of an animal that didn’t love him back.’”
The $75 million project, which includes site cleanup funded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, received the 2024 Big Apple Brownfield Award for Innovative Purpose. The shelter is part of a broader initiative by the City to establish full-service animal care centers across all five boroughs.
“The opening of the Paul A. Vallone Queens Animal Care Center represents an enormous opportunity for vulnerable animals who will no longer need to be transported to shelters in other boroughs, which will give local homeless animals their best chances at finding loving homes, facilitate reunions of lost pets with their families, and alleviate pressure on shelter operations at the other facilities,” Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO said. “The ASPCA works closely with Animal Care Centers of NYC to reduce euthanasia, increase adoptions, and improve access to care for New York City’s most vulnerable animals, and we look forward to continuing that longstanding support as ACC expands its services to help even more animals in need in Queens and across the city.”
The Department of Design and Construction is also working on new facilities in Manhattan and the Bronx, and is renovating the Brooklyn shelter. In October 2022, the City opened a new Animal Care Center in Staten Island, which won the Masterworks Design Award for Best New Building of 2023.
Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC), a non-profit organization founded in 1995, will oversee the new shelter. As the only open-admission shelter in New York City, ACC cares for thousands of homeless, abandoned, and neglected animals each year, regardless of their condition. The organization provides a range of services including adoption, fostering, veterinary care, and community outreach.
“We are incredibly proud to have partnered with the City of New York, the Department of Health and everyone who worked so hard to make this new state-of-the-art care center a reality—the first of its kind in Queens. This marks a historic moment for the borough, and we are excited to provide world-class care to animals in need of homes while also serving as a vital resource for the pet-loving community of Queens,” said Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) President and Chief Executive Officer Risa Weinstock. “It is a special honor for ACC to have this magnificent building named for the late Paul A. Vallone, a dedicated advocate for both animals and this community, and a champion of ACC.”
Paul Sanders, ACC’s senior administrator of Governmental and Community Affairs, noted that the organization manages a daily intake of at least 60 animals across its locations. In addition to the new Queens center, ACC operates a Bronx Resource Center and maintains its headquarters in Manhattan near City Hall.
“Every borough should have an animal care facility, but for many years, Queens was without one. With today’s opening of the Paul A. Vallone Queens Animal Care Center, Queens now has a state-of-the-art facility that will provide essential services for our community’s animals,” New York City Councilmember Lynn Schulman, Chair of the Health Committee said. “Together, we are making Queens a safer and more compassionate place for our animals while also supporting responsible pet ownership. The center’s work will strengthen our efforts to protect public health through humane care and education. Thank you to Speaker Adrienne E. Adams whose strong advocacy made the funding for this facility possible, and to Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Ashwin Vasan for their strong support for the completion of this project.”
The new Queens shelter will employ nearly 100 staff members and is actively seeking volunteers for various roles, including veterinarians, admissions counselors, and adoption supervisors. Interested individuals can find more information and apply for volunteer positions on ACC’s website at www.nycacc.org.
“Today we celebrate a long-awaited milestone that reflects our city and our administration’s commitment to maintaining full-service animal shelters in every borough,” Director of the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare Alexandra Silver said. “This beautiful, welcoming new center provides an essential resource to Queens residents, and is named for a remarkably compassionate human being. We can further honor Paul Vallone by adopting or fostering an animal, volunteering at the center, or encouraging others to do so. Congratulations and thank you to the staff, volunteers, and supporters of ACC for their dedication to caring for animals and the people who love them.”
This $75 million facility, named in honor of the late animal welfare advocate Paul Vallone, is a key part of the City’s initiative to expand animal care services across all five boroughs.
