A new animal shelter planned in Cornelius would replace this tarp-covered enclosure at the end of Meridian Street. Fund-raising is underway.

Architect's rendering of the planned shelter.

The Town of Cornelius is moving forward with plans for a new $600,000 animal shelter at the end of Meridian Street, off Catawba Avenue. The shelter would replace a tarp-covered enclosure on the site that sometimes houses several dozen animals. Meanwhile, shelter supporters are raising money, soliciting contributions of labor and materials and recruiting volunteers for the new facility.

The Cornelius Town Board in April approved a proposal that calls for the town’s police and animal control officials to work with local animal-rescue volunteers to build and operate the new shelter.

The site plan is near approval and shelter organizers plan to seek construction bids this month, said Bruce Forrest, volunteer coordinator at Cornelius Animal Shelter. The Cornelius board could vote on a contract as early as its Sept. 15 meeting.

YEAR END OPENING?

Mr. Forrest said construction should begin this fall and the new shelter could be open by Dec. 31.

The shelter will be owned and operated by Cornelius and, at least initially, will handle stray animals only from Cornelius.

The new facility is badly needed. Right now, the town uses a makeshift tarp-covered structure with about a dozen cat crates and five dog runs. On Thursday morning, the facility held two cats and four dogs, after a busy week of adoptions. But last week, there were 22 cats and 12 dogs, Mr. Forrest said.

“We have a very Spartan physical facility,” Mr. Forrest said. He said the new shelter would allow the town to avoid sending animals to Charlotte’s Animal Control shelter, which has a 70 percent euthanasia rate among animals held 72 hours.

Animal advocates decry the Charlotte shelter’s euthanasia rate and have been pushing for a no-kill shelter in north Mecklenburg County for years. They say it’s often difficult for residents of the county’s north end to locate and rescue lost pets before the county’s 72-hour deadline.

Mr. Forrest acknowledged that it would be unrealistic to think a shelter as large as Charlotte’s could adopt a no-kill policy. “You cannot ignore the fact that they take in 20,000 animals a year. You can’t adopt your way out of that problem,” he said.

That’s a major reason why animal advocates have been seeking a local shelter. for Besides space to house animals, the new shelter will provide adoptions and spay and neuter services.

OTHER TOWNS INVITED

Shelter organizers last spring pitched their plans to town boards in both Davidson and Huntersville, but neither opted to join the project. Davidson ultimately announced a series of animal control measures, including a plan to contract for services with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control and to send lost pets to Charlotte shelter.

Organizers are still holding out hope that one or both towns will eventually join. And the proposed 3,265-square-foot building has been designed to accommodate additional animals.

“Initially it will be a Cornelius facility, but it is anticipated that surrounding jurisdictions at some point will join. That is the hope,” Mr. Forrest said.

Davidson Mayor John Woods said Thursday Davidson is watching development of the Cornelius facility “with great interest.”

“We have a great deal of respect for their work and their focus on behalf of animals,” Mayor Woods saids. “We will continue to watch their efforts and measure our needs as compared to needs as compared to what they have to offer.”

FUND-RAISING, TOWN FUNDS

The shelter’s estimated $600,000 cost and ongoing operating expenses will be paid through a combination of public funding from Cornelius and money raised by volunteers. Cornelius has already committed $200,000 toward construction, as well as operating funds for the first year.

Meanwhile, a special town account now holds about $100,000 in private donations already collected, Mr. Forrest said, and efforts are continuing to make up the rest. The cost could be reduced through in-kind donation of materials and labor, or through a generous contract with a potential builder.

Mary Isaacs and Isaacs & Associates Architects already have designed the building free of charge.

Volunteers are pursuing a variety of approaches to fund-raising, including appeals to residents and a just-launched “buy-a-brick” campaign. One brick will cost $100 for individuals and $250 for businesses. And organizations have chipped in, too, including a Brownie troop that donated proceeds from a cookie sale.

Plans are also in the works for a gala and silent auction and a charity golf-tournament, Mr. Forrest said.

WANT TO HELP THE SHELTER?

Checks may be sent to the Town of Cornelius/Animal Shelter Fund. In the “Buy-a-Brick” fund-raiser, bricks engraved with donors’ names may be purchased for $100 each ($250 for businesses). Send checks to:
Cornelius Town Hall
Attention: Finance Dept.
PO Box 399
Cornelius, NC 28031
Checks payable to Town of Cornelius/Animal Shelter Fund

More information about the shelter, including fund-raising needs and illustrations of the planned building, is available at www.corneliusanimalshelter.com.

Comments Disabled To "Cornelius eyes year-end opening of new animal shelter"

#1 Comment By Ginger Stell On August 1, 2008 @ 12:32 pm