• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Advocates Praise Animal Control Site: Facility to House Strays, Office Space and Adoption Services Near the Town of El Dorado.

Posted on: Sunday, 19 February 2006, 12:00 CST

By Cathy Locke, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Feb. 19--Animal welfare advocates applauded the selection of a 10-acre site southwest of Placerville for a new animal-control facility to serve western El Dorado County. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday dir-ected the General Services Department to proceed with the paperwork to purchase the property near Pleasant Valley Road and Mother Lode Drive, an area known as the El Dorado "Y." The purchase price for the land is $450,000. "It needs to be ... centrally located and easily accessible," said Barbara Lee, a spokeswoman for People for Animal Welfare in El Dorado, adding that the property near the town of El Dorado meets those criteria. The county proposes to build a 15,000-square-foot structure to house animals, office space and an area where the public can interact with animals available for adoption. Outbuildings would be constructed for larger livestock, along with a fenced area for livestock and an outdoor exercise area for dogs. The Planning Commission will hold a hearing at 9 a.m. Thursday to consider whether such a facility at that location would be consistent with the county's general plan. The property, zoned for rural residential or agricultural use, is behind a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection station and is bounded on the south by Slate Creek. "I'm pleased with this site in that the acreage is larger than we were originally looking at," Supervisor Helen Baumann said. The animal shelter now is at the city of Placerville's wastewater treatment plant on Coolwater Creek Road. The city notified the county two years ago that it would have to vacate the property when its lease expires in March 2007 to make way for plant improvements. The city must upgrade the treatment plant to comply with state water discharge requirements. The city expects to award the contract for the plant upgrade in a few weeks, said Randy Pesses, Placerville's public works director. He urged the board to make every effort to expedite the shelter relocation. Gayle Erbe-Hamlin, public health director, said timelines and deadlines have been established, and the county is "committed to moving the project along." County officials had considered several locations for a new animal control facility, including county-owned property near the Union Mine Landfill. Members of People for Animal Welfare in El Dorado and other animal welfare groups argued that the site was too remote and would discourage people from coming to the shelter to adopt animals. They also objected to the proximity to the former county dump, saying it conveyed a message that animals are disposable. David Cook, a spokesman for Sierra Wildlife Rescue, urged the board to approve purchase of the site at Mother Lode Drive and Pleasant Valley Road. He also asked the supervisors to "be generous as you consider what to construct there." Animal Control staff members deserve thanks for their work, Cook said, adding, "One of the things you can do is to provide them the tools to do the excellent job they do today." He said Sierra Wildlife Rescue works closely with members of the Animal Control staff and has discussed possibly locating some of the rescue group's activities at the shelter site. Although that is beyond the scope of the initial project, "I'd like to plant that seed," Cook said. Baumann said it sounded like a novel idea and suggested that staff members look into the potential for sharing the property. NEXT MEETING What: The El Dorado County Planning Commission will hold a hearing to determine whether construction of an animal shelter near Mother Lode Drive and Pleasant Valley Road is consistent with the county's general plan. When: 9 am. Thursday Where: Building C Hearing Room, 2850 Fairlane Court, Placerville.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Sacramento Bee

More News in this Category