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New animal shelter will be run by city for at least a yearBy Chris Green_The Hutchinson News cgreen@hutch.news. comOne more piece in the puzzle that is Hutchinson’s new city-built animal shelter fell into place Tuesday.On the same day animal care advocates and city officials celebrated the beginning of the shelter’s construction during a ceremony at 1501 South Severance, the Hutchinson City Council settled on having the city operate the shelter when it opens by the first of next year.Construction of the $687,000 shelter building and shell is under way near the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, southof Avenue G and Severance.Nancy Scott, director of planning and development, said work on the shelter by Foy Construction has been underway for several weeks, and the shelter’s foundation already is in place.She said the shelter should be ready to open by the Dec. 31 deadline. At the end of the year, the city’s contract with the Hutchinson Humane Welfare Association shelter, 3501 Stewart, is set to expire.“We’ve made a lot of progress in a short period of time,” Scott said. “I think we’re going to meet our deadline.”The mere fact that construction has started was cause for celebration during a groundbreaking ceremony lateTuesday morning.At the event, members of the Hutchinson Animal Care Advisory Board, which raised $135,000 from private donors, and city officials thanked those who helped bring the project to fruition.“This is indeed a great day,” Vice Mayor David Razo said. “It’s time to press on and finish the task at hand.”Advisory board member Charles Buckaloo thanked those who contributed to the project, which included the Reno County Commission, the Hutchinson Kennel Club and HCF and its warden, Louis Bruce.He also thanked the council for its patience and lauded the efforts of private donors and advisory board members, including those of chairwoman Jane Lee, who helped lead the fundraising campaign.“We still wouldn’t have made it without them,” Buckaloo said of the donors.Animal care advocates said they also were pleased by the city council’s decision moments before the ceremony to have the city operate the new shelter.Several council members, including Ron Sellers, had expressed interest in seeking out a private organization to run the shelter on behalf of the city, which was expected to be cheaper than a city-run operation.But with no such entity emerging, City Manager John Deardoff told council members he would recommend the cityrun the shelter, at least initially.“We certainly put the carrot out, and nobody’s nibbling on it,” council member Barry Law said.To operate the shelter, the city is budgeting $284,153 for next year. That number includes $126,286 in personnel costs to hire a shelter director and four shelter attendants.Buckaloo said animal care advocates were concerned about a private organization’s ability to run the shelter in its first year, particularly considering the amount of public and donor dollars invested in the project.“Let the city go ahead and run this the first couple or three years,” Buckaloo said.
Newspaper Details
Hutchinson News
Hutchinson, Kansas, US
Wed, Jul 27, 2005
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Hutchinson P.
KS, USA 17 Jan 2023
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