Animal shelter split looms

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Wednesday to proceed with either the construction or renovation of buildings for a county animal pound in time for a July 1 startup.

Supervisors took the action because of stalled negotiations with the Augusta Regional Society for the Prevention for Cruelty to Animals on a new contract. Augusta County Administrator Patrick Coffield said the SPCA had not responded to the county’s latest offer, and said the county needs to make arrangements for care of animals by July 1 in case there is no resolution with the SPCA.

Waynesboro and Staunton officials also are considering alternatives to contracting with the SPCA.

Wayne District Supervisor Wendell Coleman said the supervisors had waited for a response from the SPCA and had received none, and said the county had been forced to spend $5,000 for a study of the costs for an animal shelter by the Charlottesville architectural firm of Daggett and Grigg.

Pastures District Supervisor Tracy Pyles said the county’s relationship with the SPCA had evolved beyond one of providing services to a business relationship that was not satisfactory. “We have fooled with this long enough,’’ Pyles said.

Supervisors received a study of the capital costs, startup costs and operating costs of a new animal care facility, but did not discuss the study Wednesday night.

Coffield said the capital costs, depreciated over a 10-year period and combined with operating and start-up costs could run about $296,000 per year. The architect study estimates that a facility serving Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County would need to be just over 5,800 square feet and would cost $726,875 to $875,250 to construct.

The study says a portion of a large mostly empty warehouse/vehicle maintenance facility owned by Augusta County at the county government center could be renovated to house the animal pound. The facility would also need to include a crematory for animals.

The study estimates it would cost$125 to $150 per square foot to renovate the existing building rather than the $175 to $200 per square foot to construct a new building.

Assistant Augusta County Administrator John McGehee said he has been told by the study architect that it will be difficult to meet the June 30 deadline for a new facility. McGehee said he could continue working with the architect on a facility design.

Wednesday’s presentation came as Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro consider alternatives to contracting with the SPCA for stray animal containment.

Both Waynesboro and Staunton contributed to the $5,000 total cost of developing the conceptual plan for an alternative facility and are considering using the county’s pound if the localities can’t reach a funding agreement with the SPCA.

Augusta County supervisors refused the SPCA’S 2012 fiscal year request for $252,000, or $3.50 per capita, and offered to pay $158,000 in a counterproposal.

Under the SPCA offer, Waynesboro would contribute $74,000 and Staunton would pay $83,000.

Officials in both cities said they’d prefer to continue working with the SPCA.

“Just in case we can’t put something together with the SPCA, this is a backup,” said Staunton Assistant City Manager Jim Halasz.

The question of how much money the localities should pay the SPCA for services surfaced last year when a contract was set to expire.

The SPCA asked each city for $160,000, up from $36,000 in Waynesboro, from $46,660 in Staunton and from $130,670 in Augusta County. The SPCA cited escalating animal care costs.

The parties negotiated a one-year contract in which the localities would pay $126.50 per animal, up 15 percent from the previous $110 per animal.

The municipalities then created a task force to create a new funding formula before the 2012 fiscal year.

If an agreement with the localities isn’t reached, John Rorrer, president of the SPCA, said the agency doesn’t “anticipate our mission changing or operations being any different.”

Coffield said the county would offer the SPCA an opportunity to shelter and find homes for animals brought to its pound and Rorrer said the agency would gladly accept.

“We want to be a partner with them in one way or another,” he said. “My main concern is for the care of all animals in the Valley, not who gets credit for taking care of them.”