Blog note: this article refers to grand jury
reports going back to 2000 on county animal shelters.
Orange County officials told Huntington Beach
council members Tuesday night during a study session what the city's
contribution should be toward the long-awaited new animal shelter: about $1.5
million.
Besides contributing to the new facility, Huntington
Beach is expected to pay the county $832,976 in the 2015-16 fiscal year for
animal-control services.
OC Animal Care, which runs the current
shelter, in Orange, has contracts with 18 cities in the county, including
Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Anaheim and Garden Grove. Last year, it
responded to 7,600 incidents in Huntington Beach, including barking dog
complaints, bite and animal-cruelty investigations and reports of strays.
According to a grand jury report last year,
the 74-year-old Orange County animal shelter has fallen into "utter
disrepair" and is overcrowded, creating health risks to both humans and
animals.
The main structure, built with unreinforced
brick and surrounded by "piecemeal placements of sheds, gazebos, lean-tos,
trailers" and other portable units, may not survive earthquakes, the
report found, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The county has been working on acquiring a new
facility for more than 20 years, Huntington Beach police Chief Robert Handy
said during the study session.
County officials plan to build a new animal
shelter at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station, having eyed the property
since the base closed in 1999, said Jennifer Hawkins, director of OC Animal
Control.
Steve Franks, director of Orange County
Community Resources, the umbrella organization over OC Animal Care, parks,
libraries and other services, said the county expects to break ground at the
air station in June. A September 2017 opening is projected.
The cost for the new shelter has yet to be
determined, Huntington Beach Asst. City Manager Ken Domer wrote in an email
Wednesday.
Orange County grand juries have heavily
criticized the county animal shelter since 2000.
The report from May 2015 determined that in
addition to the deteriorated condition, there was a lack of leadership and
commitment to animal care at the shelter. It also determined that the county
had yet to develop a solid plan for the new shelter and recommended that county
officials prioritize building a new facility.
In June 2015, the grand jury published a
report alleging morale issues with shelter staff, that the neutering of stray
animals delayed the spaying, neutering and treatment of domestic pets awaiting
adoption, and that feral cats were allowed to roam around the facility, among
other issues.
OC Animal Care has been working to resolve the
issues, Hawkins said during the study session.
"All of those things have been addressed
or are being addressed at this time," she said.
The council will explore the matter and
ultimately hold a vote on the monetary contribution during one of its regular
meetings.
February 17, 2016
Los
Angeles Times: Huntington Beach Independent
By Anthony Clark
Carpio
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