Animal Shelter Building Gets an F
I am not sure how I missed this, but I want to thank Tracy Jensen for bringing an important topic to my attention. Last October, the City’s independent consultant alerted City Council that the animal shelter building where the Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS) takes care of all kinds of animals was a failed building.
Now, I was a guest at FAAS for more than seven months, and I can say that the accommodations were not at the Ritz-Carlton level, but it sure was better than being on the street. And the staff and volunteers were great. A predictable healthy meal and several walks a day were great amenities. Looking back, maybe the kennels were kinda small for a big 90-pound shepherd/husky mix, and the play area was really small. No room for zoomies?
According to the presentation, “Facilities are generally outdated, undersized, and insufficient for modern operational efficiency and effectiveness, and to meet future needs.” The consultant determined that FAAS needed three times the amount of its existing space in order to have adequate room for all the animals it serves and to house the support staff and volunteers.
The presentation concluded with a recommendation to “Relocate and build new Animal Shelter at combined civic facility at Alameda Point or separately at another location in the City.”
The report suggested that Building 5 out at Alameda Point was “underutilized” and had “limited private reuse potential” as a possible location. I plan on doing a walk-by of Building 5 in the coming weeks once my human companion (HC) is back on his feet (and knee) after the partial knee replacement. I am also going to revisit my alma mater to check out the digs.
In case you are wondering what the price tag is for a new “adequate” shelter, try $26 million. It’s going to take a lot of bake sales to raise that kind of money. Any thoughts on how the City of Alameda can raise that amount?…