Changes afoot at Calexico animal pound
CALEXICO — Work is currently underway to install additional lighting and two separate dog runs at the Calexico Police Department’s animal-control facility.
The ongoing work is expected to be followed by additional facility improvements aimed at increasing the comfort of the stray animals temporarily housed there.
“It’s looking good,” said interim police Chief Gonzalo Gerardo. “We’re also going to redo our kennels. Some of them need to be done.”
The current and pending facility improvements are part of larger changes with the animal-control program, which also include proposed plans for a trapneuter-return program.
On March 21, the City Council approved a general fund budget amendment that authorized the transfer of more than $4,300 in animal-control funds initially deposited in the city’s community service program back to the animal-control account.
Those funds will help the animal-control facility undertake major renovation projects, Gerardo said.
A PayPal account had also been recently established to allow individuals to make financial donations to help fund needed improvements at the facility.
Already, the account had received more than $150 in donations over the past week. It can be accessed via the city’s website by going to the Police Department’s webpage.
Following the Easter earthquake of 2010, the animal control facility was relocated to its current location near the city’s airport.
Its proximity to the New River, with its accompanying moisture, appears to have a corrosive effect on the facility’s metal structures, requiring frequent maintenance and replacement, Gerardo said.
The city also recently renegotiated animal sheltering service rates with the Humane Society of Imperial County. Although those renegotiated rates are an increase over former rates, they are less than the $75 per-animal fee that had initially been proposed.
Currently, the city pays $50 for each unclaimed animal that it transports to the local Humane Society for sheltering services. That rate is up significantly from the $10 per cat and $15 per dog it had previously paid.
The proposed rate increase had prompted city officials to consider using other local shelters and animal rescue organizations that expressed a willingness to help, Gerardo said.
The rate increase also reflects the Humane Society’s inability to continue to absorb expenses for basic services that leave its budget strained, said Executive Director Devon Apodaca.
Contractual per-animal sheltering rates are typically determined by expenses associated with deworming, flea and tick treatment, staff payroll, as well as basic operational costs.
“The average cost is about $80 (per animal),” Apodaca said.
The rates do not reflect the frequent need for medical treatment for animals. Those expenses are typically offset through donations, he said.
Last year, the Humane Society’s board president had prioritized the establishment of renegotiated sheltering fees, prompting the organization to reach out to the city of Calexico first, on account of the large volume of animals the shelter processes on its behalf.
As of March 12, the city of Brawley had not received formal notification from the Humane Society regarding a rate increase, City Manager Rosanna Bayon Moore stated in an email.
Currently, the city contracts with the Humane Society for sheltering services on an annual basis for an amount not to succeed $60,000 per year.
That contract is set to expire Aug. 10, Moore stated.
Nor had the city of Imperial been contacted by the Humane Society in relation to the fee increases as of March 21, the city manager’s office reported.
The recently renegotiated fees between the city of Calexico and the Humane Society are scheduled to be in place until June 30, the end of the current fiscal year, Gerardo said.
Previous attempts to establish a written contract in place of the former verbal agreement in Calexico had stalled and were helped along recently by animal control facility volunteer Diana Daniels, who also operates the volunteer organization Calexico Border Paws.
Daniels said she was upbeat about the ongoing improvements to the facility and is hoping additional donations can help purchase additional items to help increase the comfort of the animals that are housed there for five days before being transported to the Humane Society.
Daniels said she is also hoping volunteers can come forward to provide skilled work to refurbish the large dog kennels.
Those interested can contact her through the Calexico Border Paws page on Facebook and provide an email address so that she can forward a volunteer application form.
“There’s a lot of welding to be done,” she said. “But things can probably be patched up in a day.”