Pleased with animal shelter decision

Now that the city council has reached a decision, Porterville will soon finally have its own animal shelter.

Last week, the council supported converting the old bank building on D Street across from the post office into an animal control facility. The city recently purchased that property and considered several uses, but the council went with the shelter.

It has been decades, if ever, that the city has had an animal control facility in town. For the past several years the city has been operating the animal control facility northwest of Lindsay. That is not only inconvenient for the city, but for families looking for a pet to adopt.

While the new location may not be the best, it is better than most. Because the animals will be housed indoors, it should eliminate or greatly reduce noises from the animals and odors. It will certainly be more efficient, better for the animals and better for families looking to adopt a puppy or even a cat.

Many residents have worked to have the city develop a shelter in town. The council has not ignored them. It has worked on locations and even went to bid to build a shelter, only to have the bid come back nearly double the amount of money the city had to spend.

By converting this building, the city will save more than a million dollars and by having the shelter in town, it will save tens of thousands of dollars in less travel every year.

We encourage the city to design a facility which is friendly to the community and as environmentally sound as possible.

Bottom line, the city needs to support this facility.