By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Officials with the City of St. Joseph are still hard at work to get a new animal shelter built.
Mayor John Josendale says on top of the$ 3.4 million the city is dedicating to the new building; Friends of the Animal Shelter is contributing the $1.6 million it raised for the project.
"To help us do the animal shelter a little bigger, a little better," Josendale tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "So, we're working with the architects, and it will help fund the entire project and that's what the plan is at this point."
Josendale says with the need for a new shelter at an all-time high, the city is very committed to getting this project done.
"Go down to the current shelter it's there but it's landlocked, it's overcrowded, so the new facility and where we're going to put it I think it will be more easily accessible, I think it will have more room, we've got some green space with it, so everything about it is very positive," Josendale explains.
Josendale says the collaboration with Friends of the Animal Shelter on the project has been vitally important.
"We really appreciate them again coming back with the funds that they had raised and going out to the people they had originally collected that from to make sure they were in agreement with moving forward in this direction," Josendale says. "So, it's a very positive collaboration with them."
The city will now begin searching for an architect to design the building which will be located at 3405 South Belt Highway.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.