New London dog pound still not back to normal a year after Sandy [The Day, New London, Conn.]

Oct. 28--NEW LONDON -- It's been a year since a tree crashed through the city's dog pound during Superstorm Sandy, barely missing the animal control officer on duty and scaring the seven dogs that were in the shelter at the time.

On Friday, workers from the Public Works Department fanned out inside the shelter, installing electrical outlets and checking the heating ducts. But the shelter, which can accommodate up to 14 dogs, remains closed and under construction.

Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio, who toured the work site Friday morning, said he is anxious to get the facility back up and running, but limited resources in the city have slowed progress.

"The guys are doing great work to try and get the job done," he said. "But when you have so few people and such a tight budget, we can only get to it when we can," he said.

The pound, located at Bates Woods, looks brand new on the outside with a new roof, siding and a sign. But it is not expected to be complete until December, according to Tim Hanser, public works director.

Inside, despite the smell of freshly cut wood and new paint, there is still a lot of work to be done. The concrete for the 14 kennels will be resealed and new chain link fence cages installed. The old chain link did not meet state codes, Hanser said. In fact, much of the old facility did not meeting state standards for animal shelters.

"We were always on the verge of being shut down," he said.

The shelter is also being expanded by about the size of a one-car garage that will have a dog washing tub, kitchen sink, a food prep area and washer and dryer. There will also be storage space, which was lacking in the old shelter. The addition replaces an outside storage area that was enclosed by a fence.

The city's two animal control officers are working out of offices at the New London Police Department substation on Truman Street, and strays are being kept at surrounding shelters. The police department policy on strays is to keep the dogs for two weeks before euthanizing them.

Finizio, who owns three basset hounds, said he was instrumental as a Westerly town councilor in getting funding for Stand Up For Animals, a nonprofit shelter in Westerly that does not euthanize its animals. He wants the New London shelter to re-open as a "no-kill" facility.

"Our goal is to get more animals adopted," he said. "But we have to live with the realities of our budget."

In 2012, 172 animals were taken into custody by animal control, according to statistics provided by the police department. From the October 2012 storm through January 2013, 33 dogs were housed at Montville's shelter. From April 18 to date, 72 dogs and 23 cats have been processed at the Waterford shelter and two dogs remain there. No information was provided for February and March.

Since January, the city has euthanized 24 animals, according to police Capt. Brian M. Wright. The rest were returned to their owners or adopted.

The city applied for about $50,000 in claims to FEMA and its insurance company to recoup costs of rebuilding the shelter. About $37,000 will be paid out of the FEMA account. Insurance has paid the city about $165,000 in storm damage and part of that has been put toward the shelter.

As of Sept. 5, according to a report submitted to the City Council, costs have included $3,350 for demolition services, $9,470 for roof repairs; $1,039 for supplies; and $9,800 for sitework. During the last fiscal budget cycle, the public works staff worked 131 hours of overtime on the shelter, at a cost of $5,276. No overtime has been attributed to shelter work since July 1, Hanser said.

As work continues, the city is also talking with Waterford, Montville and East Lyme about opening a regional shelter.

Each town would maintain its own animal control officers and departments, but the a new facility would be built to accommodate as many as 34 kennels.

Facilities in New London, Waterford and Montville all predate state building codes. East Lyme does not have its own facility and shares space with Waterford.

k.edgecomb@theday.com

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