City Council has voted in favour of assisting the Brant-SPCA in their process to create a new facility.
Approving portions of a proposal presented by the local SPCA, the city will bestow a Casino Legacy Fund grant to the organization, valued at approximately 10% of the total project in order to help the SPCA with their plans to obtain a new facility.
The cost of the re-location project is estimated to run between $3-$5 million.
The City has also guaranteed to provide the organization with anindex of available 3-5 acre plots of land for the new facility, and will begin composing the list of potential locations this month.
“We want to make sure it’s the right location,” says Robin Kuchma, Brant-SPCA’s Executive Director.
Concerns surrounding the potential location of the new facility include issues like the noise of barking dogs, but Kuchma is certain that City Council will select available land in the community, in which all involved parties are pleased. “We rely on the community,” says Kuchma, “We want to be a good community partner.”
According to Kuchmathe local organization has been working closely with the OSPCA, and Canadian Veterinarian guidelines to determine the kind of goals it should set in order for the shelter to “meet and exceed” modern standards.
Kuchma would like to see the new facility have a spay and neuter clinic, as well as offer modernized services and provide enough space to care for more animals and the meet the distinct needs of the Brant and Six Nations communities.
The Brant SPCA building at 539 Mohawk Street opened its doors in the Sixties, and the aged facility is falling short on both space and accessibility.
The Mohawk Street facility was originally designed to exclusively house dogs, but the organization grew to realize that local animal control needs were more dynamic than traditional dog-catchers. Kuchma says, “so many more people have a variety of pets than they did in the 1960s, it’s not just about cats and dogs [anymore].”
According to Robin McNaughton, Vice Chair of the Brant SPCA, the current building has been repaired the best it can, and strains to meet the needs of the number of animals the organization cares for.
McNaughton says there are limited desks, hardly any chairs or space for staff. Due to the cramped nature of the building itself, Animal Control Services is forced to occupy a trailer in the yard.
“We are full”, says Kuchma, having seen the Mohawk Street facility bring in over 900 animals since June.
“The staff are spectacular, especially for what they do in that facility right now,”says McNaughton.
Due to the shelter being at maximum capacity as of last week, the SPCA offered reduced adoption rates until Friday, and held an Adoption Drive at Petsmart on Saturday.
“We want to do this once,” says Kuchma, the Brant-SPCA does not want to experience any more challenges revolving around outgrowing its space. Kuchma believes the new facility will allow the organization to grow with the city of Brantford.
