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It has been a year of change at Spokane County Animal Protection Services – but just wait until 2009.
By this time, next year, SCRAPS will be preparing to take on the animal protection contract for the city of Spokane, a transition that will include the expansion of the agency’s main office in the Spokane Valley Industrial Park. Spokane’s agreement with its current animal protection contractor, SpokAnimal, is up Dec. 31, 2009.
Architects are already working on a building master plan, with construction scheduled to begin sometime in the spring of next year. The project, included under the umbrella of the Spokane Public Works department, is expected to increase the square-footage of the current shelter by two-fold.
“This will allow us to have uniformity as far as laws and public policy,” said Nancy Hill, SCRAPS executive director. “Having a regional service just works out better for everyone.”
In January, SCRAPS will take over the animal protection contract for the city of Liberty Lake. Hill has been in talks with municipal officials about freeing up law enforcement officers in the city who, to this point, have been assigned to animal control. The acquisition will represent about 1.5 percent of SCRAPS’s annual service obligation. In contrast, the city of Spokane Valley accounts for 46.4 percent.
Currently, SCRAPS is assigned to unincorporated Spokane County, Cheney, Millwood, Spokane Valley and the Fairchild Air Force Base, an area that includes around 220,000 residents.
As county agencies continue to feel the effects of a shaky economy, SCRAPS is adjusting to the impact of everything from staff cuts to a shortage of cat litter. In October, the hours of operation at the county animal shelter near the Spokane Valley Industrial Park were reduced following the loss of an animal protection assistant position.
Hill said the shift in hours simply makes it possible “to get the business of the day done.”
“The times are different, but we’re still here working,” Hill said. “The staff is processing renewal notices, doing data entry for pet licenses, working on law enforcement reports – all those things that are part of what we do.”
As far as dog and cat adoptions, Hill said the shelter remains “a destination point.”
“My hope is that even though the hours are compressed, people will still come by to adopt,” she said.
Hill expressed hope that the shelter will be able to stay open later for at least one weeknight – allowing residents to stop by after work – once the city of Spokane contract kicks in.
This month, SCRAPS is waiving adoption fees for adult cats. Residents who adopt cats will only be required to pay the $15 charge for licensing.
The organization continues to put on an annual fund-raising event in the Spokane Valley with proceeds benefiting a variety of programs. The gathering has been held at CenterPlace at Mirabeau Point each year and will be held on April 17 in 2009.
“We’ve gone from $10,000 the first year, to $12,000 the second and $16,000 in 2008,” Hill said. “We’re just hoping that trend continues next year.”
Hill is also in the process of organizing a free-standing, nonprofit group called the SCRAPS Hope Foundation which will work with local residents and businesses to raise funds and awareness. Hill said the foundation would be comparable to the various branches of the Sheriffs Community Oriented Policing Effort that supports the Spokane County Sheriffs Departments.
“We understand that the general fund is not going to be able to support all we do,” Hill said. “We just want to meet our mission of protecting people and pets.”
Want to find out more?
Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Services is located at 2521 N. Flora Road in Spokane Valley. To learn more about dog and cat adoptions, call 477-2532.
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By
Craig Howard
