The new facility will be on five acres off 32nd avenue between Leasure and Braddock Streets. It has access to natural gas and is in zoning that could handle the industrial crematorium. The current 6,718 square feet in the existing building will be nearly tripled to 17,737 square feet.
Kimberly Imbert, Shelter Operations Supervisor, says much of the driver of the design is requirements for animal care. She said when the original facility was built in 1974 it didn’t have the same mission to save animals and get them adopted as it has now.
“To prevent and control rabies and to impound animals so that people weren't being bitten by loose animals in the street. The facilities were built for that purpose - to impound animals,” Imbert said.
Dr. Mercedes Pinto – Shelter Veterinarian, showed a photo of the area that was originally designed as a euthanasia room and is now used for surgeries and recovery. In the too-small room, she operates on animals on the floor.
“On the left, that's me doing surgery. That dog literally wouldn't fit on the sink. Behind him you can see another dog that just had surgery recovering on the floor because we don't have any kennel area,” Pinto said.
Imbert says the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) updated their Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters in 2022. That and an analysis of the last 5 years of borough Animal Control data heavily influenced the design of the new building.
After the main presentation, visitors could ask questions of borough staff members positioned around the room.
Mavis Kohn, who has six dogs, says she’d like to see a smaller area for the public in the building plans.
“I think it should be for the animals. I think that for the amount of money they're requesting, we need to spend more on our animals and the staff, instead of the building and luxuries in the building,” she said.
Kaylyn Olnes and Lisa Baraf, of the second Chance League, have been attending partner meetings the shelter has been having with rescue organizations.
“I learned everything that I was hoping to learn. Our kennel is like most rescues, and so we get most of our dogs from the shelter,” Olnes said.
“To me, one of the most striking elements of the presentation was when Dr. Pinto showed the situation in which she works, conducting surgeries and recovery,” Baraf said.
Several borough assembly members attended, including Barbara Haney, who thought adding $16 million in the next fiscal year to the $17 million already designated for new facility, is too much in a year that the borough may have to close schools.
“My problem is cost. 33 million is sucking everything out of the budget,” Haney said.
But the money designated for the animal shelter can’t be spent on school operations and teacher salaries. It is locked by borough code in the Capital Improvement Program, that requires the mayor to put 10% of the budget into repair and maintenance every year. Haney says the law could be changed.
“The Borough Assembly writes the ordinances. It can do whatever it frickin’ pleases. Money is green.”
The new shelter will have about the same number of dog kennels, 39 as the existing building, which is 36, but they will be more than twice as large, which means they could be doubled up if there were a community emergency like a flood or forest fire. But the new building will be able to handle a great many more animals, according to Emergency Operations Director Luke Butcher, because they will stay for a shorter time before they are adoptable.
“The drive for the new shelter is trying to adjust our length of stay for animals, because we're able to help more animals quantity-wise, if we're able to have a shorter length of stay because of processes that are designed into the new shelter.”
The open house presentation, including plans showing the proposed design of the new shelter is on the borough's website here: https://www.fnsb.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16357/Animal-Shelter-Design-Open-House-Presentation-31324
