Leonardtown, MD — St. Mary’s County is looking at a public/private partnership as a way of establishing the county’s own animal shelter. The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County have been forced to conclude they need to move in that direction after Charles and Calvert counties appear poised to abandon the Tri-County Animal Shelter in favor of their own shelters.
A press conference is scheduled in Calvert County Tuesday, May 17 to announce the donation of land and a building for a new shelter to be operated by a private animal welfare group. That pending announcement was fresh on the mind of St. Mary’s County Commissioner President Randy Guy [R] as the commissioners talked about the shelter at their May 10 budget workshop.
This year’s regional shelter budget includes four new animal shelter attendants. The other two commissioner boards approved the shelter budget as did Guy’s board. But he noted for the future that the public/private partnership in Calvert would include about 75 percent volunteer effort, saving their county considerable money.
Charles County, in approving their Fiscal Year 2017 budget, placed $50,000 for a feasibility study of a new shelter. But the Tri-County Animal Shelter budget for the next fiscal year does not contain monies for air-conditioning the shelter, presumably because it could be abandoned soon. Air conditioning was viewed as a priority at the historic meeting held earlier this year of the commissioners of the three counties to talk about the regional shelter.
The BayNet’s Joe Norris reported that the money appropriated by Charles County will study where a new shelter might be located and which policies will govern the facility. The Tri-County Animal Shelter is obsolete,” Charles County Commissioner Ken Robinson [D-District 1] said. “When it was built, the population of the three counties isn’t even what Charles County is now. It is time to move forward with a modern facility.” Robinson is hoping for a no-kill or ;low-kill facility.
At the May 10 Commissioners of St. Mary’s County meeting, Commissioner Tom Jarboe [R – 1st District] noted what Charles was doing but also said it didn’t appear feasible for St. Mary’s to build a shelter on its own. Jarboe raised the idea of a public/private partnership.
St. Mary’s County also has $50,000 funded for a feasibility study beginning in July. Commissioner John O’Connor [R – 3rd District] [picked up on the public/private partnership idea in which an organization such as he St. Mary’s Animal Welfare League (SMAWL) would partner wi.th the county. SMAWL owns land on Lakeville Road that was purchased years ago with a future animal shelter in mind.
Director of Public Safety and Information Technology Bob Kelly will be coordinating the study. O’Connor asked Kelly to include the nonprofit rescue groups in the study. Kelly embraced the idea. “The community can help shape what our shelter looks like, “he said , adding that working with the groups would allow the county to “build for the future.”
Kelly said the feasibility study along with the input from the community would take about six months to complete.
Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com