? Some Bronx residents are fighting against a new plan issued by the city?s Department of Health to turn the former Fordham Library into an animal shelter.

Members of Community Board 7, the community group Sistas and Brothas United and local residents say the 27,000-square foot facility would be wasted on an animal shelter when the Bronx is in need of community centers due to its dense population.

Critics of the animal shelter say the space would better serve the people living in the Bronx if it were transformed into a community center to offer social services, job training or a free computer lab for students.

According to advocates for the animal shelter, there are currently no animal shelters in the Bronx. One dog rescuer says there is a dire need for a space for animals.