Hi Tor Donation Aids Rockland's New Animal Shelter Construction

NEW CITY, NY — The Hi Tor Animal Care Center has contributed almost half a million dollars to the construction of a new animal shelter for Rockland County, a project many years in the planning that could start this fall.

At a ceremony Tuesday, one of the shelter's animals, a mutt named Roo, presented County Executive Ed Day with two checks totaling $472,578.

"We had expected roughly $350,000 from Hi Tor, so this amount is a pleasant surprise which will reduce the amount of County tax dollars going to the project," Day said in a subsequent announcement. "We will put this funding to good use in building the new state-of-the-art facility to care for our County’s animals."

The center has suffered for years from overcrowding and underfunding, in a facility basically unchanged since 1972. The money came from Hi Tor's shelter fund.

"We are proud to be able to contribute the nearly half a million dollars in our shelter fund to this important work; all thanks to our many generous supporters," said Hi Tor Board President Debbie DiBernardo. "Many of our animals have already had such a hard little life by the time they join us, and we are now overjoyed for them. We are so looking forward to a great place for our animals, volunteers, and staff."

Rauhaus Freedenfeld & Associates Architects provided progress design plans and specifications calling for a new ~14,000 square foot shelter replacing the current 4,000 square foot facility.

A total of $8.3 million has been budgeted for the new shelter. Funding has been secured from the following sources:

• $472,578 from Hi Tor Shelter Fund
• $500,000 in grant funding from Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski
• $500,000 in grant funding from the New York State Companion Animal Capital Fund
• $6.9 million in Rockland Capital Project Funding

Rockland is not required to build or maintain a shelter; traditionally, county officials provided operating funding to and made county facilities available to Hi Tor as a contract agency, handling strays for the county as well as towns and villages. In 2018, Day

Hi Tor has been saving up for a new facility since 2012. A collaborative project has been in the works since 2014, when Hi Tor and the county signed an agreement for the agency to design and build a new facility on the county-owned land where the shelter operates. At that point, officials expected no taxpayer funds would be used.

However, the center lurched from crisis to crisis.

In 2018, officials forged a new agreement to build a new shelter with some money from Hi Tor, some from grants and some from the county. "Having the county take the leadership role and build this new facility means that the Towns will not have the burden of building their own shelters or finding alternative plans at a significant cost; a clear savings for residents and a victory for the animals we all care about," Day said.

Then in February, Orangetown dropped its contract with the agency, with town officials skeptical a new shelter would ever be built.

But Day said construction will start soon. Upon receipt of the final design plans and specifications, county officials will then solicit bids and a construction contract will be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. The new facility will be built to accommodate future expansion if necessary.

"We expect to have shovels in the ground by late fall of this year and are extremely excited about this collaborative effort which is a critical shared service between Rockland County and the Towns," Day said.

While Roo, the pit bull mix who handed over the checks, is in the process of being adopted, there are numerous cats, dogs and other small animals at Hi Tor in need of a loving home. To learn more about pet adoption from Hi Tor visit their website.

"On behalf of the Hi Tor Animal Care Center Board of Directors, we want to extend our appreciation to County Executive Day, the County Legislature and all of Rockland County for realizing the need and urgency in building a new shelter here at Hi Tor," DiBernardo said.

MORE:

• Hi Tor Shelter to Reveal Major Future Plans
• Rebuild Hi-Tor, County Talks Stall on Land Lease
• Hi-Tor and Rockland County Will Build a New Animal Shelter
• Hi Tor Won't Take Animals From Spring Valley
• Rockland Lawmakers To Consider Crisis At Hi Tor Tuesday
• County Lends Dilapidated Building To Troubled Animal Shelter