The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
GVAWL and Gunnison County to partner
During a work session on Tuesday, July 9, the Gunnison County Board of Commissioners gave county staff a directive to partner with the Gunnison Valley Animal Welfare League (GVAWL) in an effort to build a new animal shelter on county-owned property in the Gold Basin Industrial Park.
The 1,300-square-foot shelter, which will be operated by GVAWL, will have space for 10 to 12 dogs and 18 cats, and will include: isolation areas for both dogs and cats; indoor and outdoor exercise areas; a food preparation and dishwashing space; a small office; and a night drop.
Early funding for the shelter has come from a variety of sources, including $125,000 from the city of Gunnison, $100,000 from GVAWL and a four-year lease at zero cost for the land from the county. An additional $220,500 is needed by September 1, and the county commissioners said they were committed to helping GVAWL close this funding gap.
“We need to find a way in partnership with the city to see this through,” said Commissioner Jonathan Houck.
Gunnison County does not currently have an animal shelter. Lost, found and abandoned animals are shuttled through either the temporary housing facility operated by the city of Gunnison, or the Paradise Animal Welfare Society’s temporary shelter in Crested Butte. Neither of these facilities is equipped for more than a few animals, nor are they capable of providing care for a period of more than 10 days.
Since its founding in 1987, GVAWL has placed 2,563 animals in homes. In addition, since 1995, GVAWL has provided more than 1,100 certificates for low-cost spay/neuter services to pet owners within the county.
The new shelter will take place in two phases, and according to Commissioner Paula Swenson, there is no reason phase one could not get under way in 2013.
“We’ve been working on making a shelter happen in Gunnison County for years,” said GVAWL vice president Sandy Guerrieri. “We have shovel-ready plans for both phase one and phase two. We just need to figure out how to meet the funding gap and move forward.”
All three county commissioners stated their belief that the construction of a shelter, while not mandatory for the county, was in fact a responsibility of the county.
The commissioners will take an official vote on July 23 on the decision to partner with GVAWL in the construction of a Gunnison County animal shelter. The vote, however, will be largely ceremonial, as Commissioner Swenson, said: “We have a plan! We’re going to build a shelter!”
