What the proposed animal hospital will and won't be

To the editor: I am the veterinarian who is petitioning to build the Village Animal Hospital on the corner of 17A and Ball Road and this is a letter to the concerned residents of Ball Road. My family owns Masker Orchards and I have spent my entire life - 36 years - on Ball Road. At the last Town of Warwick Planning Board Meeting there were many legitimate concerns brought to my attention about Village Animal Hospital. I am writing this letter to help clarify what my animal hospital would be and would not be. Village Animal Hospital would NOT be: An animal shelter; boarding kennel; or a 24-hour emergency clinic. Village Animal Hospital would NOT have: A crematorium; outdoor kennels; or large animal capability. Village Animal Hospital WOULD have: Normal business hours during the week (7 p.m. closing at the latest), 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, and closed Sundays); altered Saturday morning hours during the apple season to help prevent more traffic woes; about 4 to 12 cars of traffic produced in an hour on Ball Road during normal business hours once the hospital becomes established; boarding for ongoing medical-surgical cases only; and animal wards within the building to prevent any noise pollution from being produced. Village Animal Hospital WOULD be: A beautiful building with wood and stone construction resembling an old farmhouse; buried into the hillside to minimize the size of the visible building. Almost half the building will be below ground including the animal ward areas; and a lot with no fences so the deer can continue to run through the property. I did hear all your concerns at the last meeting. Having grown up on Masker Orchards, I know Ball Road. I have seen the changes that have occurred, good and bad. I would never do anything to the area that I felt would not benefit the surrounding community. I hope this letter helps clarify some of the concerns about what Village Animal Hospital would be all about. At the next meeting on March 1st, I will bring more detailed blue prints so everyone can see what the inside as well as the outside of the building would look like. I hope this too will help with your concerns. I apologize for any undo stress that I may have created. Sincerely, V. John Ludmerer, DVM Warwick