HOULTON, Maine — Almost three years to the date that the first Ark Animal Sanctuary opened at 102 Old Woodstock Road, a new safe haven for animals opened Saturday with an open house celebration.
Located at 102 Old Woodstock Road, the new Ark Animal Sanctuary was unveiled to the public Saturday, bringing an end to a nearly three-year journey.
“This is just incredible,” said Lorraine Monfils, executive director for the Ark Animal Sanctuary. “We can’t wipe the smiles off our faces.”
The first sanctuary was opened in November, 2013, at the same location, but was tragically destroyed by a fire in March 2014, taking the lives of 16 cats. Fire officials were never able to determine the cause of that fire.
Ark officials spent two years, fighting with their insurance company to get funds so they could start the rebuilding process, both of the building and of their spirits.
“It was a hard period getting to this point,” Monfils said. “We all have full-time jobs, so almost everything has been done after hours.”
The new facility is considerably larger than the previous sanctuary and includes many amenities that the former site did not have, including a surgery room for emergencies and five feline rooms, each with a door to a fenced-in space outside. Each room can house 10 cats and none of the animal rooms have cages.
“This way it will be so much healthier for the animals,” Monfils said. “They won’t be stuck in cages. They can roam about freely.”
In addition, there are four canine rooms in the facility, along with a laundry room that can also be used for pregnant or nursing cats.
A memorial wall, featuring paintings of the 16 cats that perished in the fire, is located in the main hallway. In addition, there is a section reserved for memorial tiles that people can purchase in memory of any animal they have lost.
Monfils said all of the animals under the Ark’s care will remain in foster care until the first of the year. There are currently about 30 cats in foster care, but all will need to be evaluated by a veterinarian before they can be brought into the new building.
The new facility was appraised at $280,000, according to Monfils. The group only received $80,000 from the insurance settlement of their previous building, so a tremendous amount of fundraising has taken place, and will continue to take place.
“This was a lot of hard work, fundraising and volunteer work to get to this point,” she said.
Kathryn Harnish and Kathryn Hutchinson, two volunteers with the Ark, said they were amazed at how the community has come together to support this project.
“I think everyone probably would have preferred for the old building to still be here so we never had to go through all of that [fire], but the community has been so supportive,” Harnish said. “This is what that support can accomplish.”
“When you have people like Lorraine and [husband] Bob, with that much determination, this building shows what someone can accomplish,” Hutchinson added.
Carla Stewart, a volunteer with the Ark since August, said after the previous building burned, there was a period of uncertainty, but both Lorraine and Bob kept the group focused on rebuilding.
“Seeing this turn out the way it did is just awesome,” Stewart said. “We now have so much room and space for emergency surgeries. It’s just wonderful.
The Ark does not receive revenue from the state or towns through contracted services and therefore does not take strays that are collected by animal control officers.
In addition to the main building, a small shed is being converted into a chapel and a modular home is being renovated with the hopes that the group can hire a shelter director to live on the site.
The Ark was originally searching for an old farmhouse to become its home, but when a 40-acre parcel of land on Old Woodstock Road became available, they took steps to acquire the property. That acquisition took place in April 2010, followed by plans for a building on the site.
Because they have such a large parcel of land, the Ark’s vision for the future will include areas for farm animals and a dog park, where owners can bring their pets and allow them to run without a leash. They would also like to create a walking trail around the property.
The roots for forming the Ark Animal Sanctuary began back in 2004 when Monfils and her husband Bob moved back to Houlton. She opened a pet grooming business — Hollywood Pet Salon — on Main Street and volunteered for a time with the Houlton Humane Society. But a desire to create a bigger, more open environment for pets in need soon began to grow for Monfils and the wheels for the Ark Animal Sanctuary were set in motion.
The mission of the Ark Animal Sanctuary, a non-profit organization, is to rescue and provide food, shelter, medical assistance, love and compassion to any animal in need, regardless of age and medical condition.
According to the group’s website, “We will take full responsibility of every animal placed with us until they find loving homes. The Ark is a no-kill organization. Euthanasia will only be considered when a veterinarian recommends it for the best interest of the animal. We believe every animal’s life is meaningful and they all deserve loving homes.”
