AWL In Final Funding Push
August 2, 2018 at 3:52 p.m.
AWL In Final Funding Push
By Dan [email protected]
The Warsaw animal shelter needs roughly a half million dollars to reach the $1.8 million mark needed to construct a facility at the corner of CR 325E and U.S. 30, just down the road from its existing aging facility.
Fundraising for a new facility has continued for nearly five years, and the new push is the first under Director Katey Wilks Zemen, who took over in May when Darla McCammon retired.
McCammon continues to work on writing grants on behalf of AWL.
AWL will host an invitation-based event in Warsaw on Aug. 23 and is hoping others in the community will step up to meet its goal by the end of the month.
The Aug. 23 gathering is a chance for AWL to highlight its plans and underscore the need.
In a pitch to supporters, AWL says they are “in the final stages of bringing this facility out of the planning stages and into reality.”
“We want to give them the opportunity to see what their donations have done so far and how additional donations can take us further still,” Wilks Zemen said earlier this week. “We are moving forward.”
Members of the AWL board have retooled the original plans involving two existing structures at the new site.
The original idea involved expanding the existing building.
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The board then decided to construct a new facility further to the southeast and use the existing building as a garage and excess storage.
Part of the problem with the first plan was the need to revamp the flooring and interior walls by using a material that is conducive to regular washing and cleaning and the need for extensive drainage.
The building would have been “way too expensive to retrofit,” said Dan Woods, an ad-hoc member of the AWL board.
An existing grain bin will be moved next to the new building and will become an attached cat habitat.
The organization also got a boost from Robinson Construction, which has taken the lead and assisted with design plans, Woods said.
A handful of subcontractors have also been lined up, Woods said.
The board is eager to see construction begin. “Our contractors have committed to going ahead and getting started in August,” Woods said.
The future facility will span 13,168 square feet, Woods said.
The existing building has 7,500 square feet and was never designed to serve a large number of animal. Wilks Zemen said it is ill-equipped to cope with what she calls an “epic” level of unwanted animals.
The building has recently been hovering at capacity for dogs and cats, she said.
AWL currently cares for about 300 animals, including many that are kept in foster homes.
The group is looking at other ways to reduce the number of animals they are directly caring for.
AWL is working to increase partnerships with rescue groups for certain animals that are unlikely to be adopted, Wilks Zemen said.
They also have a program in which AWL provides food and other items to people who have inquired about turning over their animals to AWL.
The expanded future home will help AWL be ready to handle hoarding situations that result with a sudden influxes of animals.
They also want to expand educational efforts, she said.
“We need to meet the needs of Kosciusko County and those needs are growing,” Wilks Zemen said.
The Warsaw animal shelter needs roughly a half million dollars to reach the $1.8 million mark needed to construct a facility at the corner of CR 325E and U.S. 30, just down the road from its existing aging facility.
Fundraising for a new facility has continued for nearly five years, and the new push is the first under Director Katey Wilks Zemen, who took over in May when Darla McCammon retired.
McCammon continues to work on writing grants on behalf of AWL.
AWL will host an invitation-based event in Warsaw on Aug. 23 and is hoping others in the community will step up to meet its goal by the end of the month.
The Aug. 23 gathering is a chance for AWL to highlight its plans and underscore the need.
In a pitch to supporters, AWL says they are “in the final stages of bringing this facility out of the planning stages and into reality.”
“We want to give them the opportunity to see what their donations have done so far and how additional donations can take us further still,” Wilks Zemen said earlier this week. “We are moving forward.”
Members of the AWL board have retooled the original plans involving two existing structures at the new site.
The original idea involved expanding the existing building.
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The board then decided to construct a new facility further to the southeast and use the existing building as a garage and excess storage.
Part of the problem with the first plan was the need to revamp the flooring and interior walls by using a material that is conducive to regular washing and cleaning and the need for extensive drainage.
The building would have been “way too expensive to retrofit,” said Dan Woods, an ad-hoc member of the AWL board.
An existing grain bin will be moved next to the new building and will become an attached cat habitat.
The organization also got a boost from Robinson Construction, which has taken the lead and assisted with design plans, Woods said.
A handful of subcontractors have also been lined up, Woods said.
The board is eager to see construction begin. “Our contractors have committed to going ahead and getting started in August,” Woods said.
The future facility will span 13,168 square feet, Woods said.
The existing building has 7,500 square feet and was never designed to serve a large number of animal. Wilks Zemen said it is ill-equipped to cope with what she calls an “epic” level of unwanted animals.
The building has recently been hovering at capacity for dogs and cats, she said.
AWL currently cares for about 300 animals, including many that are kept in foster homes.
The group is looking at other ways to reduce the number of animals they are directly caring for.
AWL is working to increase partnerships with rescue groups for certain animals that are unlikely to be adopted, Wilks Zemen said.
They also have a program in which AWL provides food and other items to people who have inquired about turning over their animals to AWL.
The expanded future home will help AWL be ready to handle hoarding situations that result with a sudden influxes of animals.
They also want to expand educational efforts, she said.
“We need to meet the needs of Kosciusko County and those needs are growing,” Wilks Zemen said.
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