Vote “yes” on Proposition 415, which allows Pima County to sell up to $22 million in bonds to expand and improve the Pima Animal Care Center.
The “no vacancy” sign cannot go up at PACC. It’s the shelter of last resort, so unlike every other rescue organization in our community, PACC must take in every stray, lost, sick and unwanted animal that comes into the aging facility’s cramped concrete block lobby.
The result is an overcrowded, loud, dark and outdated shelter that, despite workers’ best efforts, stresses the animals, sometimes to the point where they become aggressive and unadoptable, and so are euthanized.
The shelter was built in 1968, and its design reflects its purpose at the time — a pound to hold unwanted animals until they were killed.
The mission at PACC has changed to one of adoption, and that’s good. Animals are given medical care, and a veterinarian is now on the staff. Expanding spay and neuter services is crucial, too, because that’s the best way to reduce the number of unwanted pets.
These are improvements the community can be proud to support.
The shelter has been housing as many as 1,000 animals in a space designed for 500. PACC took in 24,000 animals last fiscal year, and 76 percent of those were adopted or returned to their owners. It’s a constant struggle to keep up with the influx of animals.
Every inch of PACC is used. The surgery room is also an office, small kennels are filled with multiple dogs or cats, and a medical isolation area is rigged up in side rooms. Animals that are particularly stressed or need some extra attention often are kept among staff’s cubicles.
Opponents have suggested that public-private partnerships with rescue groups is the way to solve the overcrowding. That is a nice, but naive, solution. PACC already works with dozens of rescue organizations and, remember, it cannot turn any animal away so the problem of volume, which this is, will not be remedied with new partnerships. The county needs a better facility.
That said, it is incumbent on the county to design and build the improvements as economically and efficiently as possible. The $22 million price tag is an upper limit, said County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. He needs to bring this project in for far less than that.
Yes, Proposition 415 should pass, but Pima County has many other important needs, too.
Voters will be watching closely to see how this project is built before deciding whether to trust the county with more bond sales.
