By MATT PIKE
With just some delays on installation features such as kennels and office supplies, the new St. Joseph Animal Shelter is nearing completion.
Last week, representatives with Friends of the Animal shelter and from the St. Joseph Animal Shelter got the opportunity to walk through the inside of the new building, which is nearly ready to go and begin operation.
Melanie Barnes with Friends of the Animal Shelter says it's exciting news to be able to see the inside of a structure and be this close to the finish line.
"This is something that Friends of the Animal Shelter has been working on for probably over a decade I'll be honest, I was very heavily involved several years ago, and the combination with the city, and now the city is taking it all the way across the goal line, which is amazing and we're very excited," Barnes says on the KFEQmunnity show.
Barnes says currently the building is finished to the point that plumbing, HVAC, flooring are all installed, and painting is completed. Now, it's waiting for installation of the necessities to run the shelter.
"We still have to do installation of kennel equipment, installation of cat condos, installation of furniture as well as other office type things," Barnes explains. "So the installation is where I think kind of the stage, we are, so you can stand there and imagine it, but that also helps with understanding a bit of the flows and ways of working, for like dog spaces and cat spaces."
Barnes says because the current shelter is so small, there was an inability to separate cats and dogs, but with the new shelter there will now be more room to provide better animal welfare and separate pets while they are temporarily held.
But even while they wait for the new shelter to open, Barnes says getting to see the new amenities the pets will be provided made the visit special. From living spaces with better light, and most importantly the outdoor space.
"So excited to have dedicated play yards, having the dogs be able to outside into a playgroup or even individual to get exercise, to have that sunshine on their face, or even lounge in the grass, it's important for their overall wellbeing and welfare while they’re hopefully temporarily just staying with us at the shelter," Barnes says.
There will be three outdoor spaces at the shelter, two being covered for all weather purposes, and more green space to expand. The play yards are currently waiting on fencing.
Barnes also says another great feature is having more parking for people to be able to access the shelter. While the hopes were the shelter would be open by June, with the wait for equipment, Barnes says it appears it could be closer to the end of July or August for the shelter to be open, but no official date has been set.
Interview
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