06-14-11 Redevelopment Commission Minutes

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South Bend Redevelopment Commission Regular Meeting—June 14, 2011 4. COMMUNICATIONS (CONT.) B. Communication from Pam Wesolowski regarding additional funding for South Bend Animal Care and Control Dear President Jones, COMMUNICATION FROM PAM WESOLOwSKI I recently heard about the South Bend Common Council's decision to table a request from Code Enforcement Director Catherine Toppel for an additional$300,000 to build South Bend's new animal shelter. The new shelter building is long overdue for South Bend whose officials keep billing it as a "2 Is'Century City. "I strongly oppose the Common Council suggestion that South Bend Animal Control merge with the St. Joseph County Humane Society, and I applaud Council President Derek Dieter's refusal to sign on to that. It doesn't consolidate "duplicate"services as common council members have stated in a letter dated May 25, 2011 to the Redevelopment Commission. That would be like saying that South Bend didn't need an airport because Chicago has one. We have thousands of animals that enter each separate animal control facility each year and we need to support the most humane response to animal care and control as we can. South Bend Animal Care and Control has a track record of working with rescue groups such as Pet Refuge and Heartland Small Animal Rescue to keep from having to euthanize healthy, adoptable animals. SBA CC has also worked with Michiana Feral Cat Initiative to help humanely reduce stray cat overpopulation in South Bend through TNR. (The St. Joseph County Humane Society will not even work with local rescue groups who are willing to pull dogs and cats, even though it would save the lives of hundreds of animals within the system). A new shelter, at a cost of an additional 11