Group to tackle animal shelter issue for city

Group to analyze long-term need, operations for Bentonville

BENTONVILLE — A task force will explore the feasibility of the city running its own animal shelter.

The group will analyze the need, facility design and operations for long-term viability of a shelter, according to a resolution the City Council unanimously approved Tuesday night.

Ward 3 council member Bill Burckart requested the proposal be placed on the agenda after community members approached the council several times over the last several months advocating Bentonville get its own shelter.

Olivia Nagel, founder of Crystal Creek Rescue, told the council the nonprofit group was grateful the city was addressing the issue. Crystal Creek rescues stray and abandoned cats in Bentonville.

A shelter would add exceptional value to a city that already has much to be proud of, she said.

“So many of you have worked closely with people in the community and listened to us about this issue,” Nagel said during public comments at the beginning of the meeting, urging adoption of the resolution. “It means a lot to us who are on the ground dealing directly with the public.”

Bentonville is the only one of Northwest Arkansas’ four largest cities without an animal shelter. Animal control officers have been taking lost and stray dogs to the Rogers Animal Shelter for 10 years.

City officials ended their agreement with Rogers and will begin taking dogs to the Centerton Animal Shelter on Tuesday. The council approved a three-year contract with Centerton in January.

The Centerton Animal Shelter has 18 kennels but is expanding to 60 with additional dog runs outside.

“We’re very, very close right now,” Centerton Mayor Bill Edwards said Wednesday. “We’re putting up the fences this week. We’ll be ready to go May 1.”

Several people have been pushing for a Bentonville shelter for years, but the conversation with city officials reignited when the contract with Centerton was up for a vote.

Animal advocates argued earlier this year the contract with Centerton was too vague to ensure the welfare of animals taken there. They

said they hadn’t seen building plans and didn’t know operational specifics, such as if the building was climate-controlled or if there was an adoption program.

Bentonville is a leader in the state when it comes to education, arts, cultural activities and outdoor spaces, “but a large area where Bentonville falls behind is animal welfare,” Kristin Switzer, a professional dog trainer, told the council Tuesday.

A shelter would also provide volunteer and job opportunities as well as care for lost, abandoned and homeless animals, she said, urging council members to vote for the resolution.

The task force will have up to nine members, according to the proposal. It will consist of two council members, three representatives from nonprofit animal shelter or sanctuary groups, three residents at large and one from a local charitable organization.

The task force also will hold two public meetings and provide a report with recommendations to the city by Oct. 23 so any action recommended can be done in a timely manner, according to the proposal.

Council members approved the proposal without much discussion. Burckart said he and council member Stephanie Orman were interested in serving on the task force.

Task force meetings will be open to the public as required by the Freedom of Information Act because more than one council member will be on the task force.