[StBernard] St. Bernard Animal Control Ground Breaking

[Westley Annis]

Ground Breaking of Animal Control Shelter in Violet held June 30 

Expanded facility being built with FEMA funds and a HSUS grant

 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr., along with FEMA and a
host of officials, celebrated Recovery and Growth in St. Bernard Parish with
a ground breaking ceremony at the site of the new Animal Control facility at
5455 E. Judge Perez Drive in Violet. 

 

"This new project will mean St. Bernard will have a state-of-the-art animal
control facility that will allow us to house more animals and offer better
services to our residents," said President Taffaro. 

 

"I want to thank Julia Breaux of The Humane Society of the United States,
Ana Zorrilla of the Louisiana SPCA, and St. Bernard Animal Control Director
Beth Brewster for being such great partners to get this project off of the
ground," President Taffaro said at the groundbreaking. "I want to also thank
our partners from GOHSEP and FEMA for all of their support and hard work
too." 

 

The construction on the Animal Control facility that will be nearly twice as
large as the pre-Katrina shelter will cost $1,239,151 to be paid for with
FEMA funds and insurance proceeds, including a $250,000 grant from the
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). 

 

The shelter is being moved from its current location on Agriculture Street
off of Paris Road in Chalmette to Judge Perez in Violet where it will be
located on higher land and easily accessible to the public.

 

The land the shelter will sit on has been donated to St. Bernard Parish
Government by the Joseph and Arlene Meraux Charitable Foundation.
Construction began last week, and it should be completed near the end of
October. Braithwaite Construction is the contractor, and Meyer Engineers is
the firm responsible for the design.

 

"Due to the need for expansion of the current animal shelter, the Arlene &
Joseph Meraux Charitable Foundation is making land available for the
construction," said Floyd Gue, president of the Meraux Foundation. "This is
another instance whereby the Foundation is simply following the wishes of
the late Arlene Meraux as it has in other areas such as providing space for
the current medical clinic, the proposed new hospital, the temporary library
and a considerable donation for the cultural arts center that will be
completed in the near future, and many other donations. As the Parish of St.
Bernard was devastated in the hurricanes of 2005, Katrina and Rita, the
Meraux Foundation realizes the importance of working in concert with Parish
government to bring St. Bernard back in a sustainable manner. We have had
the pleasure of working with Ms. Beth Brewster, the Director of the Animal
Shelter and Parish President Craig Taffaro, who have been instrumental in
this endeavor."



Julia Breaux Melancon, Louisiana State Director for The Humane Society of
the United States, said her organization is excited to be able to help with
the grant. 

"The Humane Society of the United States is pleased to be able to offer the
grant to St. Bernard Parish. Since 2005, we have been very committed to
assisting the Gulf Coast. It's going to be a fantastic asset for the animals
and for the parish as a whole. We are very excited to be a part of it."

 

Ana Zorrilla, Chief Executive Officer of the Louisiana SPCA, echoed that.
The SPCA, the HSUS and St. Bernard Parish Government all jointly fund the
salary of Beth Brewster, Director of the St. Bernard Animal Control Shelter.

 

"The shelter has come a long way since Katrina," Zorrilla said. "They will
be able to do a lot more with the new facility. It will be a more welcoming
space for the public to come."

 

Zorrilla said that St. Bernard has done a good job of trying to implement
more humane practices under Brewster's direction. In fact, the shelter has
recently expanded its operating hours to include late night hours on
Tuesdays and Thursdays and hours on Saturdays that is meant to encourage
animal adoptions.

 

The current shelter on Agriculture Street is open Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the shelter's hours
are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturdays, it is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information about the shelter, call 278-1534. 

 

For the new shelter construction, Drayfus Guient of Chester Engineers is the
project manager as part of the CDM team that is providing oversight for all
FEMA-funded projects in St. Bernard. Rick Stierwald of the St. Bernard
Parish Department of Public Works is the project manager and resident
inspector.

 

For more information about Recovery and Growth in St. Bernard Parish, visit
our website at www.sbpg.net