What happened?

I am writing this letter to the community and to the remaining board members of the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. I am a former board member as is my husband George Dutton.
In reading the newest article in this paper regarding the plans going forward for Healdsburg Animal Shelter, I am utterly amazed that this Board is hiring a new architect, a cost estimator, and a CPA to do an audit, and putting out a call for a new Treasurer with a strong financial background.
My husband, George Dutton, was the project manager. He was also the Treasurer, and yes, has a strong financial background. He was brought on to this board for the express purpose of managing the building project due to his expertise in this area as a project manager and in development. He was in banking for many years and set up financial management procedures for this organization which were badly needed at the time. He gave HAS three and a half years of pro bono work to save the organization from the expense of hiring an outsider for this role. While maintaining his own occupation, he put in many hours working through the complexities of this project. This project involved City and County issues and permits. Because of the nearby Dry Creek, it involved complex issues with Fish & Game and Regional Water Quality. The hours required to deal with the many setbacks were demanding and often to the exclusion of his own occupation.
There are existing plans to finish this nearly completed building. Hiring a “cost estimator” is equally ridiculous and futile. George had a detailed cost estimate when he left that he had presented to the Board prior to his leaving. This building is so close to completion, there is no reason for endless delays and more expenditures for more and more consultants that will be taking your donations for unnecessary foolishness. Obviously, the donations from the community need to be focused towards the animals, getting them out of where they are and where they should be, NOT to more professionals that are only too happy to take your donated funds.
Equally disturbing is the refusal to make even rudimentary repairs to the present shelter which our animals will be stuck in for some time to come. Our current shelter has dogs in kennels with broken hinges, a leaking roof that could be patched. These repairs could be made inexpensively. At one time we took care of these repairs ourselves, sometimes with our own money. This building is so old that repairs need to be done on a constant basis. That has not been happening.
The real problem here is that when the newly departed executive director arrived one year ago she decided that she knew more about what this building should be and she convinced the president that George, as project manager, did not and shortly thereafter George was asked to resign. A major part of this request revolved around his opposition to a large salary increase for the executive director, when we were short on funds to complete the building.
As anyone who has ever built a house knows there can always be issues when completed that might need changes, this could have been done here. The first priority of this board was to get the animals out of the deplorable building they are in. What happened here is a travesty. A disaster created by the executive director and allowed by a small minority of the current board. I can tell you that the other board members that walked away did so for all of these reasons; they were totally frustrated by what was happening.
I would also like to make very clear that the project was presented and reviewed by the board many times. The final plans were submitted to the ASPCA shelter architects for their review; HAS paid a fee of $2,000 for this review. The plans were deemed very adequate with only a few minor changes suggested which were implemented. The designer, with members of the staff at that time, visited other shelters and the designer continued to visit shelters to be sure that the plans being drawn were going to meet the needs of our animals. I want to note that the staff made many suggestions that were put into this design.
Meanwhile, all is quiet in the almost completed shelter across the road from the old and drafty shack which calls itself the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. Maybe the only sound in the new shelter is the wind ricocheting through the walls merging with the occasional mournful bark of a lonely and sad dog from across the road—both sounds blend together to produce the perfect note which plaintively asks why? We are still waiting for an answer.
Karen Dutton is a Healdsburg resident.