It seems that we have a new St. Francis of Assisi on the BOCS and this is a good thing! On Tuesday, Corey announced that it was time to build a new animal shelter. It’s about time. The older shelter is around 40 years old and was obviously built when the county had a much smaller people population. As the people population grew, so did the pet population.
The PWC animal shelter has also become a no-kill shelter. More space is needed. According to Bristow Beat:
Corey Stewart (R), Prince William County Supervisors’ Chairman At-large, directed county staff to create a detailed proposal that would look into building a new Prince William Animal Shelter using FY2015 savings.
“When [the Prince William Animal Shelter] was constructed our county was a lot smaller than it is today. Anyone who has visited the shelter, you know that it is absolutely needed, and we have got to do something about the situation,” Stewart said, adding that the shelter does provide excellent service, “but it’s a critical unmet need here in Prince William County that must be addressed.”
Stewart said he believes the county could afford to spend roughly $10-12 million on building a new shelter from FY2015 without affecting the county’s AAA bond rating. However, it would be best to wait until after the December audit.
Nonetheless, he is directing county staff to act swiftly, creating a proposal that the supervisors could then discuss and debate, and then a new shelter could be built “outright.”
Naturally the nay-sayers will be bitching and complaining over money going to animals when more soccer fields are needed, classrooms are over crowded and any number of other “priorities” have their hand out first. The animals have waited long enough. The current animal shelter is outdated and crowded. It’s time to build a new one, despite the usual complainers.
Supervisor Lawson is an animal lover too and has been instrumental in advocating for better facilities. Hats off to both her and Corey for this much-needed initiative.
Those who want to SIGN THE PETITION for the new animal shelter can go to Corey’s webpage.
I have already signed. I like animals more than I do most people so I consider all this a good thing.
I just signed the petition as well. Thanks for the link.
@BS
Woof! Meow! You are welcome.
I think animal services should be funded by fees on pet owners rather than everyone. I hope license fees for dogs and cats goes up to support the additional cost of the shelter.
Keeping animals as pets is expensive for the environment and personal and public pocketbooks but maybe my opinion is tainted by the fact that I can’t even keep goldfish alive.
I like wild seeing wild animals, tho. They take care of themselves.
@Ed, until you get a skunk under your porch or a squirrel eats through the overhang and gets in your attic….
Ah…now I am thinking of Rick Bentley. Didn’t he end up having to do battle with a bunch of squatting squirrels?
My problem with fees on pet owners is …dogs are taxed, cats are not. My animals are expensive for me. Their eat primo food, take expensive heart worm preventative and flea preventative, and I have a dog crap service. I don’t think I have cost the county a penny and as for the environment, other than a little barking, not so much.
Fees were recently doubled to increase needed services at the shelter. 2012 I think. Fees are now in line with surrounding jurisdictions. Other jurisdictions have great working relationships with SPCA and the Humane Society – those organizations fund and manage shelters. PWC lags behind in the development of those partnerships between each other as well as with the County. Enforcement is different than Shelter care – Shelter care, the more expensive of the two can be supported by owner fees and other partnerships and are in many communities. Ed is speaking to that I think. Enforcement issues, voiced by Moon are different. I think the Game Warden role is no longer what it was – the state pushing that activity to localities.
I’m not really an animal fan but I have been reading about this lately.
Saint Francis of Stewart turns back into a pumpkin at midnight November 3.
Maybe he’s trying to mainstream Lawson – get her out of the Sheriff – err – Candlands clutches.
@Wendy
I highly doubt that Jeanine is in anybody’s clutches (with the possible exception of her husband but that would be a private matter).
Let’s put it this way, it sure looks like Mrs. Lawson has displayed her own point of view more than it used to look. Perhaps since a certain blogger has stopped praising her every move to the detriment of others.
I phrased that incorrectly- as a female I’m sure she doesn’t! This is to make sure the others realize that.
@Mom – agree. I’d like to see an all female board – very different process probably. But Candland was actually speaking for her after her election. I think she’s stopped that. She doesn’t whine when she speaks….she probably didn’t want that image.
Yea, he really did act like a talking head for her. Maybe she took him aside and told him to SDASTFU.
@Mom
Bwaaaaahahahahahaha…St. Francis of Stewart indeed!!!
Maybe the Pope Francis is serving as a good role model, Mom.
And I guess we value animals more than homeless people. PWC doesn’t have near enough shelter space for homeless people, particularly come winter. But I suppose that’s OK, after all they’re just people who are lazy, drunks, drug users, sex abusers and useless. And those families and individuals who don’t make enough working two or three minimum wage jobs to afford a place to live-well they can just go somewhere else. Maybe the new animal shelter will take them in.