Moving forward with the Healdsburg Animal Shelter

As one of two new Co-Chairs of the Board of the Healdsburg Animal Shelter, I want to take this opportunity to update the community regarding the new Shelter facility and outline a path forward toward its completion in the short-term. Further, I do so not in an effort to point fingers at any of the parties involved to date, but rather to move as quickly as possible to finish what will be an extraordinary facility. Our very achievable goal is that the new facility will continue to serve the many animals in need that have been so well provided for by the existing Shelter and operate to the highest standard possible utilizing the best practices in modern day animal care.
I agreed to join the Board having spent nearly 30 years directly overseeing the development, construction and ongoing operations of over a billion dollars of commercial and hospitality-related real estate throughout the world. It has always been my personal goal when joining a board to be able to directly leverage my career experience for the betterment of the organization. In this case the two directly correlate.
After spending the last few weeks participating in a series of structural, systems and finishing assessments with long-standing professionals both tied to the project to date as well as objective parties not involved with the project previously, it is indeed unfortunate that there remain real and significant challenges to opening the building. While there have been many opinions expressed these past months, we are confident that what I am outlining now are indeed the facts regarding where we find ourselves today.
— The concrete floor throughout the facility is cracking, heaving and separating. Of further concern is that the foundation, based on measuring recently cut bore holes, does not meet the accepted thickness of 6” slab on-grade one would normally see in a commercial building. The good news is that an independent structural engineer feels the foundation is sufficient to bear the load of the building. The bad news is that the cracking will require approximately $300,000 to repair. Along these lines, the board has instructed our attorney to file the appropriate claims to recover the cost of this repair. This repair will have to be largely completed before we can commence the significant remedial interior work yet to be done.
— Compounding this issue is the fact that the finished floor elevation would appear to be lower than what would be expected given the environmental conditions surrounding the site, including providing adequate storm drainage. This is presently being further reviewed for mitigation.
— There are numerous functionality issues the Board is addressing that will ensure organizational needs, logistics and up-to-date sheltering methodology are utilized throughout. Issues include: insufficient air circulation in animal holding areas, drains in some animal holding areas but not others, lack of screened cat rooms necessary given their jumping abilities, non-sanitary work surfaces in food preparation areas, and no bulk food storage.
— Of more importance are the almost non-functional canine kennels, stray intake facilities and outdoor socialization areas. It is imperative that a modern shelter facility incorporate communal housing, so this area is being re-imagined at what will be a comparable cost had the kennels been completed as originally designed.
— In the opinion of our long-serving professional staff, the stray intake area currently incorporates kennels that are too small to the point of being inhumane and offer no separation between stray and healthy animals. In fact, the existing stray component is smaller than at the existing shelter. Because we expect the new facility’s services to grow exponentially with the community at large, this must be addressed and rectified.
— There is no isolation facility: the most basic component of any shelter facility.
A draft redesign of the interior finish work that addresses these issues comprehensively has now been completed. A general contractor with extensive shelter experience is reviewing these building plans in order to provide the Board with an estimate of costs to complete the facility. This estimate will be completed in a matter of weeks. We will share the plans with several renowned and respected individuals in animal welfare for peer-review prior to finalization.
I would also like to present the facts with regard to the existing Board members’ work in the past few months to rectify these issues. The Board engaged an attorney and expert in construction coordination, on a pro bono basis, to investigate the past processes regarding the stability of the foundation. While not wishing to alarm the community or our generous donors they engaged a Certified Public Accountant to provide a detailed forensic audit of the project to date so that we can effectively inform the community how the money for the project has been spent. As we have stated in several interviews over the last several weeks, this will be shared with the community as soon as possible.
Our overarching goal is to have a holistic forward plan and detailed critical path near the first week of May. At that time we will inform the community and our very generous donor base of how this project will be completed as efficiently as possible. Our goal, verified as achievable by our consulting team, is to move into our new facility in the Fall…of 2012!
We look forward to sharing these plans with you in the coming months at our monthly Community Forums, the first of which will be held April 4 at 5np.m. at the new Shelter.
In closing, it is our goal that as a community we can put the divisive issues of the past behind and now focus on completing the new facility and fulfilling our core mission. A mission so ably executed to such an enviable standard by our superb and dedicated staff and corps of selfless volunteers. They are the heart and soul of the Healdsburg Animal Shelter and deserve our profound thanks and respect.
William Anderson is the co-chair of the board of The Healdsburg Animal Shelter.