Commission approves animal shelter

February 19, 2010

A Department of Code Enforcement crew headquarters will become the new South Bend Animal Care and Control shelter, following unanimous support by the City's Redevelopment Commission of a $1.5-million rehabilitation and construction project.

South Bend Animal Care and Control has outgrown its current 17-kennel facility at 105 S. Olive St., a century-old, land-locked former South Bend fire house. Since 2007, the City has had architectural plans to renovate and expand an existing facility on the southwest edge of Kennedy Park at 521 Eclipse Place, but no resources for development.

"I am proposing the use of Tax Increment Financing revenue to support the development of this facility in 2010," Mayor Stephen J. Luecke said Feb. 15 in his 2010 State of the City address. "When it makes sense and meets statutory requirements, we will use TIF revenue to help meet key General Fund objectives that support development."

The Redevelopment Commission, which oversees TIF spending, today approved the project. Construction could begin this spring with the facility's completion by December.

"Animal Care and Control provides a public service, which the citizens of South Bend have come to expect and appreciate since its inception in 1996," said Catherine Toppel, director of the Department of Code Enforcement, which includes Animal Care and Control. The department, in partnership with CARE (Community Animal Rescue Effort) of South Bend, worked with an architectural firm to remodel the existing building into a 9,378-square-foot shelter. The firm has designed and built several animal shelters in Indiana.

The new facility will nearly quadruple the size of the existing space, allowing for increased adoptions and volunteerism. It will feature:

  • 39 dog kennels with additional room for cages
  • Multiple holding areas for cats
  • Its own spay-neuter clinic
  • An expanded lobby/reception area
  • An adoption-preparation area for bathing and grooming of animals
  • An interaction room for families to meet with prospective pets
  • Courtyards for stray and adoptable animals
  • A confined area to unload animals from vehicles
  • Secure areas for the quarantine of bite cases and dangerous animals
  • A treatment area for sick and injured animals
  • A secured area (protected from weather elements) for after-hours drop-off.

 

"The shelter will include outdoor courtyards surrounded by the building," Toppel said. "No animals or runs will be visible to the public."

In 2009, South Bend Animal Care & Control responded to 4,558 calls for service and 712 after-hours calls. Crews handled 3,852 domestic animals with nearly 10 percent adopted by residents, 11 percent returned to their owners and another 9 percent sent to other animal-rescue organizations. The present shelter lacks sufficient holding space that could enable more adoptions.

"The current facility is extremely inadequate for the work we do managing more than 4,000 animals," said Gary Libbey, manager of South Bend Animal Care and Control. "As well as the space limitations, the building has several structural issues as a result of its age, including drainage problems and inadequate ventilation, which can cause disease to spread rapidly among animals."

CARE of South Bend has conducted multiple fund-raisers on behalf of the proposed shelter as well as pet-adoption events on behalf of South Bend Animal Care and Control.

The Redevelopment Commission also authorized the City's Board of Public Works to act on its behalf to manage completion of the project.
In addition to the City's plans for a new animal shelter, the South Bend Parks and Recreation Department is exploring the creation of an adjacent dog park in Kennedy Park. It would be the first dog park in the city.

 

 

 

 

Contact:

  • Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235.5855 or 876.1564
  • Catherine Toppel, Director of Code Enforcement, 235.9486
  • Gary Libbey, Manager of Animal Control, 235.9303
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