The Saratoga County Buildings and Grounds Committee will recommend that Petersen Group Architects of Clifton Park design the new county animal shelter in Ballston Spa when they meet with the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, April 15.
I got a real good feeling about them and their ability to work with us, said Ballston Supervisor Patti Southworth, a committee member, during a subcommittee meeting on the animal shelter.
Other members of the subcommittee agreed.
Moreau Town Supervisor Preston Jenkins Jr., who chairs the subcommittee on the animal shelter, said he felt the Petersen Group’s presentation last month had a personal touch. He also noted they could design the 27,000-square- foot building for the county’s $5 million price tag.
The Petersen Group could also meet the committee’s proposed timeline, according to Jenkins, and estimated the building life at 30 years, which was greater than the two other estimates. The Petersen Group was recommended over Sacco-McKinney Architects of Latham and Butler Rowland Mays Architects of Mechanicville, who both presented their plans to the subcommittee.
Shelter Supervisor Daniel Butler said he was comfortable with the committee’s recommendation
The 30-year-old animal shelter, located on County Farm Road, is in need of a new facility, according to Butler.
`Today, animals needs are taken into consideration more so than 30 years ago,` Butler said.
He said that when the shelter was built in 1978, people were simply providing a `warehousing` of animals; today, he said, people are concerned with providing proper housing and medical care.
`Their interests come first,` he said of the animals.
He said that the new facility would have separate areas for cats and dogs and a ventilation system with an air exchange, which will change the air every 10 to 15 hours a day, according to Butler.
The new facility will also have more kennel space so that the shelter can house more pets.
`It gets pretty crowded,` Butler said, referring to the shelter, which is about 9,000 square feet.
The site plan allows for future expansion, he said.
Another feature of new shelter is separate entrances for pet adoption, surrender and euthanasia.
`When people come to adopt, that is a happy time for them and they don’t need that interaction,` Butler said, referring to people surrendering their pets or having them euthanized.
Butler stressed the importance of spaying and neutering pets. He said the new facility would have an area for the surgical procedure. He said no animal would leave the shelter without first being spayed or neutered.
`With the new areas, we hopefully will do a better job of keeping the healthy ones healthy,` Butler said.
He said that having glass protected viewing of the animals would prevent the spread of viruses from one animal to the next because people will not be able to touch multiple animals at a time. In the current facility, the animals are only in cages, allowing people to pet several animals in a single visit.
Volunteer dog walkers will also have a place to rest in the new facility.
The original building was converted from an old barn. The facility was expanded in 1988 to include a larger reception area and more dog kennels.
The shelter holds several fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the animal’s needs, Butler said.
Friends of the Saratoga County Animal Shelter will be holding the second annual Busy Bone 500 dog walk on Saturday, May 10, at the county fairgrounds.
Last year’s Busy Bone 500 raised more than $6,000 for the new shelter.
Butler said the shelter has raised more than $170,000 through fundraising to contribute to the new shelter in some capacity.
The new shelter could be built in late 2009, according to initial estimates.“