Officials Examine Options for New Animal Shelter

By Mark Geary, Reporter

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By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Sep 8, 2010 at 8:52 PM CST

Story Updated: Sep 8, 2010 at 9:16 PM CST

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Cedar Rapids’ previous animal shelter got destroyed by the Floods of 2008. Staff has been operating out of a temporary facility. FEMA will help pay to build a replacement. But, now Linn County and other surrounding cities are considering plans to provide money or other resources to the project.

Cedar Rapids must choose a site for a new animal shelter by mid-October to meet FEMA’s deadline. If the county or other cities want to get involved, they need to act soon, because Cedar Rapids must meet that federal deadline.

One Linn County Supervisor thinks a non-profit group could manage a shelter better than local government. "We can’t be all things to all people any more. We need to look at what we can do to find efficiencies in government," Linn County Supervisor Brent Oleson said.

But, the county isn’t in charge of this project.

"I appreciate the county’s interest. I’ll talk to the county about it. But, the bottom line is: it’s about Cedar Rapids," Cedar Rapids City Council member Don Karr said.

Cedar Rapids plans to break ground on a new animal shelter this coming Spring. To meet that goal, officials must act quickly and do not have time for a long, involved process with the county and surrounding cities.

"When you go out fishing and you’re not getting any bites, you move to another hole, right? They’re all fishing right now and trying to see what we’re going to do and how it can help them. Well, they can keep fishing. We’re going to keep building," Karr said.

Linn County already relies on Cedar Rapids to help with the pet population. Now, it’s just question of how that relationship might work in the future. "One way or another, we’re going to be paying some money, but we have to define if that money will be for a building or for service," Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston said.

Regardless of what happens, Cedar Rapids will build a new animal shelter, but hopefully, the dogs and cats will have found a new home by then.

The Linn County Supervisors will discuss how the county might get involved early next week. It could involve giving money, donating land or something else.

Johnson County, Jones County and a few cities have also said they might be interested. Linn County’s Public Health director says he supports the idea of a city-county animal shelter.

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