Cape Coral Animal Shelter looks to expand
Asks Council for help with city fees, additional land site, for self-funded building they hope to build
An expansion of the Cape Coral Animal Shelter may be in the near future with help from the city regarding fees and use of an adjacent .3 acres.
“Our new building will cost about $8 million,” Cape Coral Animal Shelter President JoAnn Elardo said, adding they are not asking the city to fund the building. “We are asking your help with capital expansion fees. This is a one-time ask for this and the return will be great for the city. We think we have been a good investment for the city and want to make sure we meet the needs for a growing city.”
Councilmember Dan Sheppard said at Wednesday’s City Council workshop that he would support the request, as the organization adds great value to the community, a service for all families in the city to use.
“It’s a worthwhile investment. I will be supporting this,” he said.
Elardo said with Cape Coral growing fast, and for the non-profit shelter to keep up with the expanding community, an expansion is needed. They plan to convert the existing 8,400-square-foot building into a low-cost veterinary clinic and build a 19,000-square-foot two-story building.
“We have adopted and saved over 4,500 dogs and cats; 68% are from Cape Coral,” Elardo said.
In addition, the veterinary clinic has had 6,685 clients, 80% of whom are Cape residents. The clinic helps individuals afford care for their pets, with the Heart Fund helping and treating those with no funds.
Other accomplishments of the shelter include issuing a few hundred pet carriers for free to individuals during Hurricane Ian, so they could bring their pets to shelters, or use them to save their pets when water began rising.
“The shelter has helped our city in many ways that kind of amazed us,” Elardo said. “We saved over 100 dogs and cats from taking a ride over the bridge to the Lee County Animal Shelter.”
There has also been assistance in getting lost animals back to their owners.
The Cape Coral Animal Shelter takes a $2 million budget to run every year, which includes such areas as employees, vets, and medical assistance.
Assistant City Manager Connie Barron said staff from the Cape Coral Animal Shelter approached city staff a few months ago to get them involved in their desire to expand the facility, which is located on land owned by the city near Sun Splash Family Waterpark and leased to the shelter.
In February 2017, Council approved an agreement with the Cape Coral Animal Shelter Corporation which planned to build a no-kill shelter and adoption facility on property owned by the city, which was vacant and not used at the time.
Barron said Council approved a 99-year lease at $1 per year.
In December of 2017, Council approved a resolution agreeing to pay the construction-related fees associated with building the first building, which then equated to $71,374.06.
Now, with the two-story expansion, construction related fees equal $64,747.38.
“They have a very interesting, very large expansion,” Barron said of the two-story structure.
The shelter expanded services in 2020 when they identified a need in the community not just for the no-kill facility, but also for low-cost veterinary services.
“Residents were bringing their animals there to be in residence and taking them to be euthanized because they could not afford the cost of care for their animal,” Barron said.
The 19,797-square-foot building would be an expansion on their leased 4.2-acre site, with almost 17,000 square feet on the first floor and 3,000 on the second floor, she said.
Barron said the expansion would be on the current footprint of the Cape Coral Animal Shelter and would include adding 48 parking spots for a total of 93 spaces.
The new building would house all shelter operations, including kennels, cat rooms, adoption areas, offices, laundry, storage, and a multi-purpose room.
Elardo said the offices would be located upstairs with the downstairs mostly used for adoptions. It’s a “very community functional center” with a large space developed for school classes and training, she added.
The current building is going to be reconfigured to expand the low-cost veterinary clinic and the current kennels will be used for dog intake and quarantine only, Barron said.
In addition, the shelter is asking for the adjacent city parcel to the east of the building, about a third of an acre, to use for training and a play area for animals.
“The current appraisal. 4.2 acres is about $595,000 with an additional one third acre to the east add about $50,000,” Barron said for $645,000.
The majority of the City Council thanked the Cape Coral Animal Shelter for what they are doing, as it is a much-needed service for the citizens. They also showed support in the construction-related fees.
“I can’t thank your organization enough to bring what you brought to the city and residents,” Councilmember Bill Steinke said. “I am a firm supporter of the effort.”
Although Mayor John Gunter said Cape Coral Animal Shelter provides a great service for the community, he brought up a concern, a slippery slope, of the 769 other tax-exempt nonprofits working in the city asking for monetary contributions.
“We used to have a program many years ago where we gave monies to nonprofits. That policy disbanded and we no longer do that,” Gunter said, adding that he has a fear that if they open the door 769 nonprofit organizations could come forward and ask for the same type of contribution.
“My concern is if we go down this pass we may get this request.”
Many of the council members thanked him for the discussion but did not share the same concerns.
Councilmember Jessica Cosden said the city did the construction-related fees in 2017 and haven’t had other requests.
“I have been involved as a donor, adopted, fostered. I think this is a very unique case and it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the nonprofits,” she said.
The Cape Coral Animal Shelter has a major fund raiser coming up.
It will host its Walk, Wiggle, Wag & Run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 23. The fun walk, or 5K timed run, will take place around the shelter, 325 S.W. 2nd Ave. The event will also include music, food trucks, vendors, a marketplace, pet costume/talent contest and giveaways.
For more information may be found at capecoralanimalshelter.com/event/walk-wiggle-wag-run-2/.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com