New BC SPCA Site Clears Another Hurdle
Prince George, B.C. – The plan for a new animal shelter for the BC SPCA has taken one more step.
The site is at the corner of 18th Avenue and Foothills Boulevard. The BCSPCA has already gone to the City to have the property rezoned and the Official Community Plan changed to allow the development of the property, but still needed the Province’s approval because the property in question is Crown land.
The Province has given the BCSPCA a 30 year lease of the 1.18 hectare site. The lease will allow the BCSPCA to build a new 929 square metre facility that will not only be home for animals, but will have an education centre as well. In addition, there will be 279 square metre barn for horses, next to a paddock , and a 26 stall parking lot .
Located next to the Ginter’s field dog park, the design includes a 20 metre treed buffer between that park and the barn/paddock area and outdoor kennels to reduce any possible stress to animals from barking dogs.
The property backs on to green space owned by the City and is next to the Prince George Equestrian Centre.
Outdoor dog exercise pens will be built near the main building and an outside storage shed will be located immediately behind the centre.
The project is not likely to see construction start until 2018.
Comments
It’s about time
A good location with lots of room for the dogs / pets. Also happy to see no photos, or mention, of the local MLA politicians in this story. :-D
Beware of Geeks bearing gifts. A 30 year lease, property rezoned, and a change to the community plan. Seems like this is moving forward without any hitches. Hmmmmmmm.
Greeks?
Wonder why the SPCA do not expect to move in until 2020 ?
Probably because it will take that long for all the various government departments and their officials to do 2 days worth of paperwork, and obtain a dozen signatures.
Good thing the RDFFG is not involved, that would add another year to the process.
All said though, this is a good news story, they (SPCA)need the room, and the improvements to their facilities.
metalman.
I used to be on the local Community Council of the BC SPCA off and on several times during the past 15 years, chairing it on occasion.
The Society has over thirty shelters throughout the province. Probably half of them were put on a replacement schedule a few years ago. The intent was to remove them from out of the way locations such as adjacent to city dumps, such as in Quesnel and PG (sewage treatment and associated odours) and closer to higher traffic areas where they can be seen by the public.
Prince George was middle priority form the start. There was a reasonable shelter her which was converted from the City Pound when the SPCA’s shelter (they owned it on leased City land) was demolished to make room for the aquatic centre.
What I would like to know is whether the City will renew their contract to take care of the animals placed into the pound side of the PG shelter. We now have two organizations, the BCSPCA and the PG Humane Society which is starting to make its presence felt after one year of operation. The City could easily put the service contract out for an RFP.
You can learn more about the provincial shelters her spca.bc.ca/branches
Click on the Penticton Branch and you will see the first of the new shelters that was built about 7 years ago. The Maple Ridge Branch is one of the newer ones. The same architectural firm has been designing them to accommodate today’s uses of the BCSPCA.
I fail to see why you do not do some research before writing such facetious comments about government. Where does that get you and others? It does nothing to contribute to the conversation.
timescolonist.com/news/local/at-nanaimo-spca-animal-shelter-meets-community-centre-1.2332295
That is a link to the Nanaimo shelter which was just opened.
It mentions the current $54 million dollar program to replace nine shelters and renovate 3.
The thing I do not understand is the PG deal which is to lease the land for 30 years. The intent at the start was to purchase land, not get into more leases leaving them at the whim of the province or local municipality.
The province gave the BCSPCA several million $ to use towards this rebuild program. The BCSPCA provides the cruelty investigation services under the BCSPCA Act and has been getting no payment from the province other than about $70,000 a year for a program which cots in the neighbourhood of $2 million per year. Other province provides much closer to the actual cost of that program in their provinces. So, the help with the building of shelters is justified.
As far as the RDFFG goes, they do not help with the BCSPCA services for assisting with stray dogs one bit. The RDFFG has no dog pounds so the local ones end up in the PG “pound”. The RCMP may be bringing in any dogs found running lose, I do not know. So, whatever the cost, PG and the BCSPCA pay for and provide that service, as does the RCMP.
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