Local

Animal Advocates Still Waiting on DeKalb County Animal Shelter Site

June 19th, 2013

Animal activists are still waiting on final word from DeKalb County on the location of a new animal shelter. After weeks of delay, residents are frustrated and concerned about the shelter being built on one of the proposed sites.

A broadcast version of this story.

Two weeks ago, DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis was set to recommend a site for a new shelter.

Instead, three sites were proposed, and the final recommendation was supposed to come Tuesday at the county commission meeting. But the county presented further evaluations.

Barbara Davis, a member of Advocates for DeKalb Animals, says she’s disappointed — the vote has already been delayed several weeks.

“We have a failed system, we need answers now. And our position is build it now. We’ve waited ten years. Let’s go ahead and get this done,” Davis said.

Davis and other animal advocates want the shelter built near DeKalb-Peachtree airport, but she’s not sure if it’s likely after Tuesday’s meeting.

“It was hard not to feel that the County had decided and the presentation was biased to point to John’s Homestead,” she said.

John’s Homestead, a county-owned green space, is already favored by some commissioners like Commissioner Elaine Boyer.

“One of the reasons is that I’m going to support this particular site is number one: we the taxpayers of Dekalb County have already bought this 46 acres for $7 million,” Boyer said Tuesday.

The County says the location near the airport would also cost $1.2 million more to build because it would have to pay the Federal Aviation Administration.

But Pam McNall, with the Friends of Johns Homestead, doesn’t want the shelter coming to the green space and prefers the PDK location.

“We have to preserve this heritage site and as a dog park and work with a heritage site and a nature preserve? No, I think it’s a far fetch,” McNall said.

The Board is set to vote on a site on June 25.