43
Dog shelter location ideal, Mahoning commissioner says
AUSTINTOWN
The chairman of the Mahoning County commissioners said he hopes the county can open its new dog shelter next year.
David Ditzler said he hopes the former Jump Stretch Fitness Center, 1230 N. Meridian Road, can be under interior renovation this winter.
On Tuesday, the commissioners conducted their first staff meeting at the former fitness center since the county acquired it.
They spent 45 minutes in executive session discussing potential acquisition of small parcels of adjacent land with other county officials and architects Ray Jaminet and Tracie Kaglic.
The former fitness center is desirable because it features large, open spaces, thereby reducing the need to demolish interior walls and facilitating cost-efficient renovation to suit the county’s needs, Ditzler said.
“It’s nice that it’s an open concept right now, so we can develop whatever we need,” said Dog Warden Dianne Fry.
“This is an excellent location for a dog shelter because you have freeway accessibility,” said Commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti. The building is close to access ramps to Interstates 80 and 680, the 711 connector and state Route 11.
The Western Reserve Port Authority bought the 8,540-square-foot building on 6.67 acres for the county for $250,000 plus a $25,000 auctioneer’s fee in an April 1 foreclosure auction, and the county paid for it from its dog and kennel fund, which is derived from dog adoption and licensing fees and fines for dog-law violations.
That means the county has about $125,000 left in the capital-projects fund and $90,470 in private donations that can go toward the architects’ estimated $1.4 million in renovations.
The county hopes to raise at least half the renovation cost through private donations, with the county covering remaining costs.
Audrey Tillis, county budget director, said the county would borrow money through bond issuance for the renovation project.
The commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. today in the county-courthouse basement, and on their agenda is a resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of up to $1,015,000 in bonds toward constructing and equipping a dog kennel and related administrative offices.
Fry said she envisions three separate entrances to the Meridian Road facility, one for dog intake, another for people adopting dogs and a third designated as a business entrance.
The goal is to separate dogs whose health is bad or unknown from dogs known to be healthy, she explained.
The current Industrial Road pound has only one public entrance, which is used for all purposes, Fry said.