[Archived] City Breaks Ground for New Animal Shelter


News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:	Tuesday, January 18, 2000
Contact:	Angelita Plemmer, City Manager's Office, (703) 838-4300

City Breaks Ground for New Animal Shelter

The Alexandria City Council and the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) will break ground for the City’s new animal shelter on Saturday, January 22, at 8:30 a.m. The ceremony will be held at the site of the new shelter, located at 4075 Eisenhower Avenue, adjacent to Cameron Run Regional Park.

The $2.5 million new shelter will be financed with $2 million in City funds and $600,000 from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. The AWLA already has given the City $100,000 for the project’s design costs, with the remaining $500,000 slated for construction costs.

The AWLA will oversee the operations of the new 12,480-square foot shelter, which will hold 66 dogs and 105 cats --- 90 animals more than the existing shelter’s capacity. The space for cats is larger since national and local trends indicate that the cat population is twice as large as the dog population. The new facility also will feature community meeting space and added space for visiting and adoptions.

"The construction of the new animal shelter is consistent with the commitment of the citizens of Alexandria to take an active part in enhancing the quality of life for all of its residents," Alexandria Mayor Kerry J. Donley said. "City Council supports the League’s philosophy of providing humane care to animals."

Alexandria animal control officers respond to nearly 8,000 calls for service each year and control public nuisances caused by abandoned, neglected, stray, sick, or dangerous animals. Shelter personnel remove dead domestic and wild animals from public spaces and test approximately 60 animals per year for rabies. The shelter and the AWLA also provide a spay-neuter program and offer public awareness and human education programs for school-aged children, the elderly, individuals with special needs and the general population. Shelter personnel also work to reunite lost animals with their owners.

"This new shelter is an excellent example of a public/private partnership," said Alexandria City Manager Vola Lawson. "The League has a history of many years of raising money for this facility and it would not be possible without their generous financial support.

"I am delighted that the City can finally make the new shelter a reality after many years of planning," said City Manager Lawson.

Until 1989, the City operated the current animal shelter, located at 910 South Payne Street. The shelter, which was built in 1958, is too small and outdated to meet the needs of the City’s animal population. In 1989, the City contracted the operations of the shelter to the AWLA.

Since then, the AWLA has increased adoptions, enhanced the care and health of shelter animals, extended hours to the public and increased the number of licensed dogs and cats in the City. The shelter uses more than 200 volunteers annually to support its programs, and approximately 25,000 citizens visit the shelter or use its services each year.

"The new shelter, which is designed for the comfort and security of the animals in our charge, is going to be a wonderful addition to the City of Alexandria and the work that the League does to benefit animals," said Jack Steele, president of AWLA’s Board of Directors.

A construction contract for the new shelter will be awarded in March and the facility is scheduled to open by next winter.