The Friends of the New Animal Shelter are on the path to building a new facility.
The group has been working for the past couple of years to raise funds towards building a new shelter. Lynn McGeachy Schultz, project coordinator, says they've raised roughly $1.2-million of their $1.5-million target.
"The campaign is progressing very well and we're really pleased with where we're at," she says. "We're hopeful that the campaign will finish up and allow us to be shovel ready for spring of 2018."
McGeachy Schultz says the goal is to have everything they need -- in terms of funds -- by December 2017. The group will be presenting an update on its fundraising efforts to council Monday night. Council had approved a $500,000 contribution to the project in 2016.
"People should know that this is a great asset for the entire municipality," she says. "I think it's important to know that the community has identified this as a project for a very long time and it's time to get it finished."
In the meantime, McGeachy Schultz says they'll continue to look for private donors and host fundraisers. She says they're having a concert on November 3 at the Capitol Theatre, where local talent will preform a show called "A Lion Sings Tonight".
