Contractors are beginning work on a joint North Shore City Council/Rodney District Council animal shelter at Silverdale.
At a brief ceremony tomorrow (Friday the 20th) North Shore City Councillor Heather Brown and Rodney District Councillor Grahame Powell will turn the first sod for the $3 m project.
Both councillors have been closely involved in planning the shelter since it was first mooted in 2005.
Councillor Brown says that the new shelter will provide a secure long-term and cost-effective dog impoundment facility which is easily accessible to residents of Rodney and the North Shore.
Currently, the two councils use impounding facilities under contract; North Shore dogs are taken to Henderson and Rodney dogs are housed in Redvale.
Negotiations for an appropriate business arrangement between the Councils for the establishment of a joint animal shelter facility have been under way since 2005, says Councillor Brown.
“As neighbours, it makes excellent sense for our two councils to work together to build and operate the shelter.”
Since the new shelter is a combined use facility, the capital building and yearly operating costs will be shared, which will reduce the costs to both Councils.
The complex is being built on a disused Rodney District Council works depot site in the industrial area of Silverdale. It will house up to 40 dogs with room for expansion if this becomes necessary in the future.
The facility is architecturally designed to serve the area for up to 40 years and will be similar to the award winning combined Manukau City and Papakura District Animal Shelter at Wiri in South Auckland. It is being built by Watts and Hughes Construction.
The building will be ready for operation by the end of July this year. The councils are currently advertising for tenders for its operation.
It is planned to be a one-stop-shop service where owners can pay impoundment fees and recover their dogs without having to go to a Council office.
Rodney’s Grahame Powell, a former veterinarian himself, has welcomed the joint venture calling it the quickest and most economical way of delivering the community facility.
He says that there is the convenience factor for the public but also a pressing need for such a facility for the animals themselves.
There are about 14,000 registered dogs in North Shore City. Between 500 and 600 stray dogs are picked up per year. In Rodney, there are 14,500 registered dogs and 430 strays are picked up.