An Aroostook County humane society expects to break ground on a new shelter building within three weeks.
The Central Aroostook Humane Society of Presque Isle has raised nearly 90 percent of its $840,000 goal with help from all over Maine, and crews will soon start building the longtime dream of shelter staff and supporters.
The society launched a campaign in March to replace its crumbling shelter on Cross Street. The shelter has been there 35 years, and the building has mold, cracked walls and other structural problems. The new facility will improve conditions for staff and the animals.
Thanks to a swap with the city of Presque Isle, the humane society obtained an empty lot just up the street, and the city will acquire its current building. After seven months of fundraising, construction is about to start with a goal to open in the spring.
“Once they get going, the building will go up fairly fast,” said shelter board secretary Gloria Towle of Fort Fairfield. “Then they’ll spend the winter inside working.”
Led by Executive Director Betsy Hallett, the shelter serves 30 communities throughout Aroostook County and is a drop-off point for many animal control officers. The current building holds roughly 10 dogs and 25 cats, and the new facility will accommodate 13 dogs and 36 cats, according to Hallett.
Buck Construction of Mapleton will build the 3,300-square-foot structure, which was initially projected to cost around $810,000. Incidental expenses and material costs could inflate the price, and then there will be upkeep, which is why the humane society is continuing to seek grants and raise funds.
The new building will feature up-to-date equipment, board member Carolyn Cheney of Presque Isle said. There will be a larger waiting area, a medical room, a dedicated laundry area and a space for potential pet owners to visit with a dog or a cat.
The facility will be safer and easier for staff to work in, including dog areas that will open into outside enclosures. Right now, staff have to take dogs out through the building and outside into an unattached enclosure, Cheney said.
The layout will allow staff to adjust space if more animals come in, she said.
Donations account for nearly two-thirds of the $737,000 raised so far, including a substantial but unspecified bequest from a benefactor specifically for a new building, Cheney said.
The society will reveal the person’s name when the shelter nears its opening date.
Cheney has been on the board for more than 45 years and has seen it go from its first makeshift building into its current facility. She has been blown away by the wide reach of support.
“We’ve received donations from many people all over the state and beyond, and most importantly there have been a number of children,” she said. “We are grateful for each and every person who’s helped.”
Classrooms have collected money, children have hosted lemonade stands and some have requested shelter donations instead of birthday gifts. People who’ve adopted pets from the Presque Isle facility have sent money, and there was even a group from Allagash who collected bottles and cans and sent in the proceeds, Cheney said.
But what gave the shelter the boost needed to start work was a $200,000 grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation of Freeport, Towle said, crediting Hallett for her work obtaining the funds.
A mass mailing when the capital campaign launched drew about $17,000 in donations, and the society’s annual Toast to the Animals, a wine-tasting and hors-d’oeuvre event, brought in $15,000, Towle said.
The other major fundraiser was a Facebook Live appearance by Jordan’s Way founder Kris Rotonda, who visits animal shelters around the country to help them raise money, Towle said. The May event brought in about $10,000.
The Maine Animal Coalition of Portland initiated a GoFundMe campaign and is halfway to their goal of raising $10,000 for the Presque Isle shelter, Towle said.
Eventually the humane society wants to host free or low-cost spay and neuter clinics for pets at the new building, similar to those Norma Milton at Halfway Home Pet Rescue of Caribou has organized, she said.
The staff’s long-term goal is to one day have a separate garage or utility building to store maintenance equipment, Cheney and Towle said.
But that’s down the road. Right now, they can’t wait to see shovels in the ground.
“I think for all of us it’s been a dream for many years, but we never thought that we could make it happen,” Towle said. “But thanks to the generosity of many people, we’re there.”
For information, contact the society at 24 Cross Street, Presque Isle, ME 04769, or visit centralaroostookhumane.org.
