By LISA SIMPSON STRANGE
GLASGOW — More than 100 people attended an open house for the new addition at the animal shelter at Trojan Trail on Saturday afternoon and were given tours of the added space as well as opportunities to adopt a new family pet.
Barren River Animal Welfare Association (BRAWA) supporters brought along donations of pet food, cleaning supplies, blankets, cat litter and other items as early Christmas presents for the dogs and cats housed at the shelter.
“Donations have been really good,” said Susan Berdeaux with BRAWA. “This helps our budget tremendously.”
Ground was broken last spring for the new addition, according to Margie Patton, BRAWA board member, and the organization plans to have construction completed before summer of the new year.
“We’re hoping by spring to have everything done,” Patton said. “We moved first dirt in March so that means getting it done in about a year, but it depends on if the money holds out.”
BRAWA has been doing as much of the work as possible with volunteers to keep costs down, according to Patton. Gates and doors were installed and floor painting was completed with volunteer help.
“There’s been a lot of sweat equity,” she said.
The new addition includes extra kennels, rooms for examinations and surgeries, washrooms for the animals and soiled linens and other areas. There will be an updated reception area with a glass wall enclosing new cat condos to show them in a more positive way and hopefully increase adoptions. People visiting the shelter will walk past the older animals first before they reach the kittens and puppies, Patton said.
In the final construction phase, an interior wall will be breached to connect the new and existing halves of the facility. A new multi-purpose room at the front of the complex will act as a meeting room and will allow school groups and area scouts to interact in a separate area with the animals. The room will have a kitchenette and will also be used as a conference room, according to Patton.
Patton also gives members of one area family much of the credit for BRAWA being able to build the shelter expansion.
“If it hadn’t been for the Heers family, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this,” she said.
Hal and Kay Heers have been tireless supporters of the project giving both time and money to the effort and their son, Randy Heers, has overseen construction since the beginning, according to information provided during the open house.
BRAWA also received a $33,000 grant from PetSmart Charities Inc. that paid for the new cages and cat condos.
But they can always use more people willing to pitch in and help as well as donations of money and supplies.
“It’s hard. Everybody’s strapped in these hard economic times,” she said. “But we have loyal donors.”
One visitor, Traci Peppers, gave the group high praise.
“I’m so impressed with what you guys do here,” she told BRAWA board members and volunteers.
