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COUNCIL BLUFFS — A fundraising drive for a new animal shelter for Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County will begin in earnest this week.
“We're starting to go out into the community,” said Leslie Southard, chair of the Midlands Humane Society Board of Directors. “The push is on.”
The goal is to raise up to $1.7 million for a planned shelter near College Road and the new Valley View extension estimated to cost $3.2 million. The city of Council Bluffs has pledged $1.5 million and donated the land for the shelter.
The Humane Society board also is hoping the county may contribute to the shelter.
Some money has already been raised, Southard said, including $64,000 from the 13-member board and $5,000 from the Union Pacific Railroad.
John and Anne Nelson and Jim Hawk are honorary chairmen for the fund drive.
“The hope is to break ground in the spring,” Southard said.
The 13,300-square-foot shelter would be nearly twice the size of what the city and county are using for animal control needs now, according to Southard.
The one-story facility would provide 20 kennels in the dog adoption area, 30 in the dog holding area and eight in the dog isolation area when dogs are ill, she said. There would be 40 kennels in the cat adoption area, 70 in the cat holding area and 30 in the cat isolation area.
Up to 12 puppies could be held in the adoption area, plus a room for other animals such as rabbits or hamsters, Southard said.
An adjacent dog park is also planned.
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