Animal shelter back in planning process
Roger Varley
"We've been waiting a long time for this."
That was Mayor Dave Barton's reaction to a report filed at council on Monday addressing the future of the proposed new Uxbridge-Scugog animal shelter.
The report, created by clerk Debbie Leroux, sought approval from council for township staff to undertake the planning phase for the construction of a new shelter. The report recommended hiring a construction project manager "to help identify a process, potential scope, costing and approximate timelines for the project." The report estimated the cost of the consultant at $40,000, to be split equally between Uxbridge and Scugog.
Uxbridge and Scugog council and staff, shown here receiving a $1.1 million donation from a deceased resident’s estate, are looking to renew building a new animal shelter for the two townships. Cosmos file photo
Asked by Regional Councillor Bruce Garrod what could be expected from the consultant, Chief Administrative Officer Kristi Honey said the consultant would determine what the new shelter will cost.
Barton declared he would like to see ground-breaking for the new shelter some time this year, but Honey said she couldn't make any commitments until the planning phase is over.
Both Barton and deputy mayor Willie Popp indicated that the new shelter, when built, will be less than the original design and less than a smaller version that was adopted by council later.
"We won't be able to build what was proposed," Barton said. "We're going to simplify the design."
Popp said the new shelter will be "simple but fully functional."
Leroux' report said there is now $2.8 million in the new animal shelter reserve and noted that amount included $615,000 raised by the volunteers of NASUS (New Animal Shelter of Uxbridge and Scugog) and a $1.1 million donation made last October by the estate of the late Marlyn Ruth Rennie, who lived in Port Perry. Honey said at that time that the Rennie donation would go towards "a feasibility study" for a simplified design.
Construction of the new shelter was put on hold in 2019 when estimates to build the new shelter came in much higher than expected. The new shelter will be located on township-owned property on Lake Ridge Road, just south of Reach Road. The current shelter sits in the middle of an industrial area on the outskirts of Port Perry.