Shelter to get cat facility, written policy manual

Relief is in the works for the Lancaster County Animal Shelter, where plans for a portable cat sanctuary and a written policy manual should ease the overcrowding and clear the confusion between the shelter and rescue groups.
County Council Chairman Bob Bundy visited the Lancaster County Animal Shelter earlier in the week of May 9, just a couple days before the shelter was closed down for an investigation and Director Shandy Miller was suspended with pay. He was following up a previous visit to determine the shelter’s greatest needs.
This visit fell between the first and second readings of the county budget.
“I just wanted to make sure any need they had was not left out of the budget process,” Bundy said.
He went in with the preconceived idea that the shelter needed additional dog runs.
He said the director informed him the dogs get adopted out more easily and quickly than the cats. Bundy also discovered the cats only have one room, which is always overflowing. He said the director requested relief for the cats.
The conversations between Bundy and Miller led to the idea of a separate and portable cat shelter. The current year’s budget had a small surplus in other departments. Bundy presented the idea to council. The projected price for the project is $25,000. Council gave it the go-ahead at last Monday night’s council meeting.
“This will be money very well spent because it gets what we need and is not a huge expense. The portability is key in the event the shelter is ever relocated or expanded,” Bundy said.
Lancaster County Council has been talking with a couple of counties about similar cat shelters. Bundy said Chesterfield County has a sensible and sizable structure that Lancaster hopes to replicate. Aiken uses outdoor runs as part of its portable structure, and Bundy says Lancaster hopes hope to incorporate that into the plans.
County Administrator Steve Willis recently visited the Aiken County shelter and has been consulting with Lancaster County building maintenance director Daniel Hammond about the fencing for the outdoor runs for the cat shelter.
“The fencing will have to be on the top as well as the sides to keep the cats in,” Willis said. “And we will have to separate the males and females or we will just end up with more cats.”
Willis said they are hoping to get the project started before the end of June. He said he expects the cat shelter will accommodate about 40 cats.
Willis said council is looking at other improvements for the animal shelter. “The Lancaster county shelter has run for years without a policy manual,” Willis said.
He is in communication with the York County shelter and the council hopes to develop a manual drawing from York’s experience.
The manual will include liability release forms for volunteers to sign. Willis said the shelter will take charge of photographing the animals and posting them to the shelter’s website and Facebook page and encourage all rescue groups to repost and share.
“In the future, if a rescue group wants their own pictures, they are welcome to come down and if a shelter employee has time, they will work with them to get the picture,” Willis said. “They won’t be allowed to wander through and do their own thing.”
Bundy who has five adopted cats and two rescued dogs, said, “We have been working behind the scenes.” His hope is the county will look at long-term solutions such as spaying and neutering programs.
Animal advocates took to the floor of council chambers at Monday night’s council meeting. Three spoke during their allotted three minutes for citizen’s comments. At least seven more were there in support.
Lancaster resident Mary Reimers urged council to set a time for a give-and-take discussion about the animal shelter, because three minutes would not allow her to cover all the issues.
“What is going on at that shelter is probably nothing you are proud of or what you wanted, but when that shelter was shut down, it was not done the right way,” Reimers said.
She addressed the handling of injured animals, the overcrowding and the frustration of animal rescue groups facing difficulty getting into the shelter recently.
“If the shelter was not adequate 10 years ago, then what makes you think it is adequate now? Every year you delay, the cost for expanding the shelter will go up. You can find the money. You can.”
Willis said the county is also looking at better ways to coordinate the release of injured animals to interested rescue groups. The shelter will use the contact number on file and give the group 24 hours to rescue the cat or dog, he said. If not picked up, the animal will be put down.
When the investigation began May 11, Lancaster County sheriff’s spokesman Doug Barfield said, “I can tell you the allegations do not involve the direct health, care and welfare of any animals there.”
The investigation was turned over to SLED May 13 to avoid any conflicts of interest, since the animal-control officers are supervised by the sheriff’s department.
Willis said the SLED investigation is continuing and he had hoped it would have been completed by the end of last week. As of Tuesday afternoon, the investigation is still open, Willis said.
Last week, SLED spokesman Thom Berry said he could confirm that SLED is investigating the Lancaster County Animal Shelter, but would not elaborate.
“I can confirm the investigation, but it would be inappropriate to get into specifics while our work is still under way,” Berry said. “Once we complete our investigative work, we will compile a report and present to the prosecutors for determination of any charges.”
For the time being, Willis said the shelter is open to the public during the following hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and noon to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Fees are currently  waived for anyone wishing to adopt an animal from the shelter, he said.
Contact Mandy Catoe at (803) 283-1152

6/1/16