06-14-11 Redevelopment Commission Minutes

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South Bend Redevelopment Commission Regular Meeting—June 14, 2011 4. COMMUNICATIONS (CONT.) A. Communication from Valerie Schey Respectfully, we urge the Redevelopment Commission to support the request for additional funding for the new SBACC facility for the following reasons: • SBA CC manages over 4,000 animals each year. Due to the severely limited holding space in the current facility, we are faced with having to euthanize approximately 65% of those animals every year. Many of these animals are healthy, adoptable animals that we simply can no longer hold. • SBA CC welcomes thousands of visitors every year. The current building is a poor reflection of what our community is capable of and; sadly for our handicap visitors the building is not handicap accessible. • SBA CC has several structural issues as a result of its age. For example, the building has appalling drainage problems due to the aging plumbing. •Another issue with the building is the lack of adequate ventilation and airflow. Airflow and ventilation become a particular problem when there are sick animals in the shelter. Many of the common pathogens that affect animals are airborne pathogens. Without adequate airflow and/or the space to quarantine sick animals; diseases spread rapidly throughout the building. We believe that in addition to the direct benefits that SBA CC customers and the animals in our care will enjoy; there are many indirect benefits that the surrounding neighborhood will experience as well. Some of these benefits include: • The new facility will be an attractive addition to our City's Westside. As a public facility, the new building will be "an attraction" that will draw visitors to the Westside whom may not regularly visit these neighborhoods otherwise. As these visitors and volunteers spend time in this 8