Making way for a new county animal shelter
NWI Times
May 9, 2016
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP — Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, braced herself against the strong and chilly wind Monday morning so as not to miss another milestone in constructing a new county animal shelter.
“It’s so exciting,” she said while watching an old house destroyed near the the Porter County Expo Center to make way for groundbreaking on a new shelter in June. “It’s a long time coming.” A large excavator began tearing away sections of the two-story house and several nearby outbuildings are also slated for demolition.
The demolition occurred a day before the commissioners are scheduled to open up three competitive bids to construct the new building, according to Commissioner Jeff Good, R-Center.
Those proposals will contain costs for the project, he said, but the final decision also will be based on a review of the companies ability to meet the county’s expectations, he said. That final selection is expected to be made by commissioners May 17.
Good predicted the project will cost the county between $2.5 million and $3million. The hope is to get the unanimous support needed from the commissioners and council to fund the project from money generated by the 2007 sale of the county hospital.
Blaney said it likely will be next spring before the facility is operational.
The new shelter will be accessed from the same light along Ind. 49 that is used by the sheriff’s department, Good said. The access road along the east side of the highway is going to be extended south to reach the site.
Shelter Director Toni Bianchi was happy to see the demolition under way Monday.
“It’s a step in the right direction for the animals in Porter County,” she said.
A new shelter not only will improve living conditions for the animals, but will attract more potential adopters, she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment