Funds being raised, likely site ID’d for new animal shelter
Lytle Road property near bike trail will have soil tested first.
TROY — The effort to raise more than $7.5 million for a new Miami County Animal Shelter is getting underway with a nonprofit organization leading the effort.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to even be talking about it, the idea of making this a reality,” said Rob Craft, shelter director, who discussed shelter planning and fundraising with Heidi Scribner, president of Miami County Partners for Animal Welfare.
The estimated cost of the proposed new shelter is $5 million on the low end, up to $7.5 million, Scribner said.
Leaders of the then-new nonprofit MCPAW met in February 2023 with commissioners saying it already was exploring funding sources.
“Our mission is we are dedicated to improving the welfare of animals in our community by working in cooperation with Miami County
Animal Shelter and Miami County government,” JJ Frigge of MCPAW said.
The commissioners included $25,000 for planning a shelter in its capital improvement budget last year and also set aside $250,000 from county American Rescue Plan Act — or ARPA — funds. They also have worked with MCPAW on identifying the best location.
Property on Lytle Road north of Troy not far from the current shelter is the likely location, with soil sampling to be done first, Craft said. The property lies near a section of the county bike trail, which Craft said would be useful when volunteers walk dogs.
The current shelter is next to the county fairgrounds on North County Road 25A. It has been called “woefully” inadequate in size.
“They have done an astonishing job of utilizing every possible space to its best usage,” Scribner said. That facility is 4,289 square feet indoors and 1,779 square feet outdoors for 6,068 total square feet. The planned new shelter is 9,651 square feet indoors and 3,345 square feet outdoors for 12,995 square feet total.
The shelter became a no-kill operation in 2019, adding to the population of cats and dogs. Although not required to accept cats, the shelter does, and is one of the only shelters in the area that takes in cats, Craft said.
The new building will include increased parking, specialized ventilation for odor and disease control, a multipurpose meeting room for staff meetings and community events, and a medical clinic to allow for in-building animal care and larger events such as spay/neuter days or microchip clinics.
The current shelter housing capacity is 33 for dogs and 20 for cats. The new shelter would accommodate 48 dogs and 30 cats.
Among other shelter features will be:
■ Two-compartment kennel design, allowing dogs to eat, sleep and rest in space separate from where they eliminate, enabling staff to clean kennels more easily and quickly and with better sanitation for dogs and humans.
■ Puppies will be housed separate from adult dogs.
■ Cat housing will have two-compartment cages, allowing cage cleaning without having to relocate the cats.
■ Adoption interview area to assist adoptees in finding the perfect pet.
■ State of the art, hospital-grade, climate-controlled HVAC in dog and cat housing areas.
A number of sponsorship opportunities are available as part of the fundraising plan, such as shelter naming rights sponsorship, animal support areas, cat condos and exterior areas among others. Donations will be handled through The Troy Foundation.
Plans are being made for a fundraising event in March with donations to the effort always welcome, Scribner said.
For more information, contact Heidi Scribner, president, at MiamiCountyPAW@ yahoo.com. MCPAW also is on Facebook.