The Athens County cat shelter officially is closing after months of legal and financial struggles and has until Nov. 28 to leave its location, according to the shelter's manager.
The Athens County Humane Society, which runs the cat shelter, does not have the legal right to use the private road that leads to the shelter, nor does it have legal rights to the water tap that provides the shelter's water supply, according to an insert written by the Humane Society's board of directors that was included in yesterday's Athens County Humane Society fall newsletter.
The Humane Society's lawyers advised the Humane Society not to litigate the matter
and to accept a monetary settlement from the family who owns the property, according to the newsletter insert.
The property owners have offered to buy the building that houses the shelter for $41,000 - a price the Athens County Humane Society cannot afford to refuse, said Marla Brooks-Verity, the shelter's manager.
The Humane Society has wanted to move the shelter from its location at 8500 Hoon Drive for a while, Brooks-Verity said, because the building is not well-suited for housing cats and is not in a good location.
We've said we were closing for a long time Brooks-Verity said. Brooks-Verity also said no plans are being made to open another shelter right away because the shelter was organized and opened with a handshake kind of deal. Organizers want to take their time putting together the new shelter, Brooks-Verity said.
We're not doing anything right now because we want everything done legally she said. We're not ready to have another shelter yet.
Brooks-Verity also said the Humane Society is not looking at any other properties, and it did not ask the county for permission to use an old, vacant dog shelter for storage and a spay and neuter clinic. She said the family who owns the property where the shelter is located was just trying to help the cat shelter when a member of that family sent a letter to the Athens County Commissioners last week asking for use of the old dog shelter off state Route 13.
The Humane Society had nothing to do with the letter and did not know the family actually sent it to the Athens County commissioners, Brooks-Verity said. The Humane Society has discussed eventually opening a spay/neuter clinic but not in the vacant dog shelter, she said.
Athens County Commissioner Mark Sullivan confirmed the county received a letter requesting use of the old dog shelter, which the commissioners granted at their Oct. 25 meeting, but the commissioners were in the dark about the status of the cat shelter and did not know who exactly was requesting use of the old dog shelter.
The closing of the shelter will leave the 15 adult cats that are at the shelter homeless, so shelter organizers are seeking immediate foster families for those cats. Foster families care for the cats until they are adopted, Brooks-Verity said.
What we're going to do [until we open another shelter] is just a foster program from now on
Brooks-Verity said. Everything will be done with fosters and satellites.
The shelter has several cats and kittens in foster care and at satellite locations - businesses and organizations in the area that have agreed to care for the cats until they are adopted, said Tracy Roberg, who is the volunteer coordinator for the shelter and is the corresponding secretary for the Athens County Humane Society board. In addition, the Humane Society is looking for locations that will allow them to showcase its animals for adoption, according to the newsletter insert.
The shelter is not accepting any more cats but can still help out with cat owners' spay or neuter needs, Roberg said.
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Emily Vance
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Jenny Barnhart, of Albany, takes a break from filling out adoption forms to pet one of the many residents of the Athens Cat Shelter. The shelter will be forced to close soon due to a lack of operating funds.
