BENTONVILLE -- The animal shelter task force is planning to ask the City Council for money to develop designs for a shelter, Bill Burckart, council member said Tuesday.
Burckart, who also serves on the 11-member task force, presented the group's work over the last six months to the rest of the council. Council member and fellow task force member Tim Robinson was absent.
Task force members were in attendance as were other animal advocates. Several held signs showing support for a city shelter. Some emphasized the need for cats to be included in services.
The city currently only addresses dogs, which are taken to the Centerton animal shelter.
Burckart said he'd be coming back to the council soon to ask for about $350,000 for designs, which would provide more accurate estimates of what a building would cost.
A proposal asking for the task force to work through February will also come to the council as it wouldn't be feasible for city staff to take the project over immediately, he said.
There was no action taken Tuesday night. The presentation was informational.
A public-private partnership is the way to create a shelter with services that offer an above-expectation experience, Burckart said.
The city would be responsible to provide an adoption program, spay and neuter services, services for cats, volunteer opportunities and a healthy intake system. That's estimated to annually cost the city $585,000, Burckart said.
Private partners would provide services beyond that, which could include emergency services, sanctuary care, disaster preparedness, behavior and training support, and grooming services, Burckart explained. Those could cost more than $2 million annually.
"There needs to be vested partners in this, not just the city building this," he said, adding he believes they'll be "partnerships across the board" and the city will be just a part of the effort.
There will also be a capital campaign to raise money for construction and the services above what the city will provide, Burckart said.
Burckart ran through the tight timeline of what would need to take place in order for the shelter to open before the city's contract with Centerton expires in May 2021. It included having the council approve building designs by January, securing land by May and having construction begin by March 1, 2020.
"There's not a lot of room for 'oops' in this schedule," he said.
Four people spoke during the public comments in support of the city moving ahead to building its own shelter.
Jennifer Pokrandt and Courtney Schafer spoke on behalf of Fabulous Felines and Crystal Creek Rescue, two cat rescue organizations.
They receive an average of 10 requests to take cats a day, Porkrandt said. There are 185 cats in their inventory across various foster homes.
"We have to turn away about half of those requests," she said.
The city's population is nearing 50,000, and the need for animal services increases as the population increases, Schafer said.
It is an amenity that people from larger cities expect to have and could be used to help businesses recruit and retain employees, she added, emphasizing the need for quality.
"We should move forward in a true Bentonville fashion," Schafer said. "Make it the best it can be. Set the standard."
Leeth Harper, veterinarian and task force member, said his colleagues in the veterinary field and the public are ready for Bentonville to have an animal shelter.
It's a unique opportunity to be able to build a shelter from the ground up with exact specifications, he said.
"The support is there and will be there," Harper said. "This shelter will be representative of what Bentonville wants ... I hope you all understand that this is your chance to make a huge impact on this community for generations. The time is now."
Council Action
Bentonville’s City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• Increasing the lot split and property line adjustment fees from $125 to $150.
• Amending the agreement with Total Security Solutions for window barriers at the Community Development Building. The $1,009 increase brings the total to $32,017.
• Hiring TOP Engineers to provide the Electric Department with fiber network design to Substation F for $37,415.
• Buying two Altec aerial devices, one Altec digger derrick and three MHC Kenworth cab and chassis for $787,638.
• Hiring Morrison-Shipley Engineers for construction observation services for $40,000.
• An agreement with Lonesome Tree Properties and Game Composites to develop a through the fence agreement at the city airport.
• The Parks and Recreation fees for 2019.
• Hiring Crossland Heavy Construction for Razorback Greenway improvements costing $369,719.
Source: Staff Report
NW News on 11/14/2018