COLUMBIA − The Central Missouri Humane Society (CMHS) is actively looking for a new space to call home, and the City of Columbia has the space for them if they want it.
This comes after a challenging month of dogs experiencing respiratory issues associated with an outbreak in pneumovirus in the facility.
Michelle Casey, associate director for CMHS, said the search for a new facility has been a long time coming with most of their issues stemming from inadequate space and structural security.
“CMHS has needed a new building for many, many years,” Casey said. “When this facility was constructed, the population of Columbia was about half of what it is now, so there is a much bigger need in the community. There’s more people and more animals to serve, and we just can’t do it out of this space.”
The nearly 50-year-old building has sheltered thousands of animals throughout the years and the structural integrity of the building shows it, with roofs collapsing, black mold and asbestos problems.
MU veterinarian Jessica Thiele said a new building is imminent for the long-term wellbeing of the animals outside of the pneumovirus outbreak.
“Really any infectious disease can be difficult to manage in a shelter like this,” Thiele said. “It’s not just respiratory diseases in dogs, it could be parvovirus, ringworm. Any disease without without the proper facility could be difficult to manage.”
Pneumovirus, which is highly contagious among dogs, is still relatively new, and there is no vaccine to cure the illness. Theile said so far, the worst thing that has come out of the virus is one dog catching a mild case of pneumonia.
Casey said CMHS has already finished plans with its engineers for a new facility. She said construction is estimated to cost $8 to $10 million.
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The City of Columbia says it has space available for the CMHS to use. The city is offering 4.6 acres of land to CMHS at the intersection of Strawn Road and Interstate 70 Drive Southwest, near Sorrells Overpass.
Larry Potterfield, founder of Midway USA, donated the land to the City of Columbia in 2017.
In 2018, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and CMHS was agreed upon with a tentative deadline for the facility plans to be completed by 2025.
That MOU involved the land being free of charge, but CMHS being responsible for building expenses as well as a percentage of the water mainline, according to Deputy City Manager Mike Griggs. The city would also provide a dog park and parking lot.
KOMU 8 News asked Casey why plans with the city haven’t moved forward, and she said the Humane Society is exploring other properties, as well.
“It’s important that our new facility is accessible to all of our clients, not just those who are adopting. We are also taking into consideration our relationship with the College of Veterinary Medicine and their Shelter Medicine program,” Casey said. “Our new facility needs to be closely located to their surgery center so that we can easily transport animals back and forth. We are hoping to continue this partnership in our new facility which would require more acreage than the 4.6 acres on Strawn Rd.”
Casey said CMHS is actively taking donations from the community and is looking into grants to fund the new building.