Archive: Around Town

The SPCA of Tompkins County announced that The John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation approved a grant for $40,000 for extensive repairs to animal holding areas in The Dorothy and Roy Park Pet Adoption Center.

Jim Bouderau, executive director, states: “The most important and most noticeable work will be done in our dog wing. Current materials are not holding up to the daily wear and tear of our cleaning protocols – there are numerous holes, window frames are becoming rusted and detached from disintegrated walls, and the water damage caused by the seepage into the walls would have eventually created unhealthy and unsanitary conditions.”

Work has already begun on the repairs. Inlet Glass measured, cut, and installed new windows to repair old cracked ones.  “We plan to replace the sheetrock and coat it with ‘Stonhard,’ a water and chemical resistant material, similar to what many hospitals use, to repair this damage and prevent future damage.” The total cost of dog-area renovations is $47,000; Bouderau hopes to raise the additional $7,000 through local support.

The renovations will be performed during the week of July 23rd.  “We’ll have dogs all over the place! Some will be in foster care, others will be in kennels in our old rescue building and we are even considering, horror of horrors, placing one or two very small dogs in cat holding areas!” says Bouderau.

Adoptions will continue as usual, with just a few adjustments being made while the dog wing is closed. Potential adopters will work with adoption counselors to ‘meet and greet’ dogs on a daily basis. “We hope that this will not deter people in any way from coming to adopt. The sooner dogs find new homes, the better it is for them!” continues Bouderau.

“The repairs will save money in the long-term, reducing or eliminating the expenses of short-term and make-shift repairs.  The SPCA looks forward to re-opening the wing and having members of the public visit and see the refurbished and always amazing Pet Adoption Center.

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