By Scott Allen —
Fredericksburg City Council members on Monday voted 4-1 to allocate a maximum of $1.5 million for the development of a new city animal shelter.
Councilman Graham Pearson is for the project, but he dissented because he wanted $1.7 million for the project and didn’t want a hurdle for the animal shelter in the future.
“I’d rather go with $1.7 million,” Pearson said. “That doesn’t mean to say we have to spend it when we get all of the information back. I’d rather that not be a hurdle to us going forward in this project.”
Animal shelter
After deciding on a maximum amount for the shelter’s development, council members heard from the public.
Kelly Musselman, spokesperson for the Friends of the Fredericksburg Animal Shelter, was happy with the council’s decision.
“This is the right thing to do, not just for the animals, but for the people of our community,” Musselman said. “Even non-pet owners will benefit from the construction of this facility, for it will impact every citizen’s health, safety and welfare.”
Musselman added that the community is entirely behind the animal shelter.
“As you know, there is overwhelming public support for this project,” Musselman said. “To date over 1,000 city residents have signed petitions asking for the city to step up to this responsibility.”
After hearing from David Duman with Quorum Architects, Inc. (the company who has helped with designs for the animal shelter) council members unanimously approved the architectural services agreement for $171,000. The architects will present a plan to the council which, after approval, will go out for bid. The planning process should take about six months.
Parks master plan
Council members heard a report on a parks master plan from Dennis Sims with Dunkin Sims Stoffels, Inc. which categorized the city’s needs for parks and green area.
In his presentation, Sims concluded that hiking, jogging and biking trails were listed as the most desired by the citizens of Fredericksburg based on citizen surveys.
For more on this story, read this week’s print and online editions of the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post. If you are a print subscriber, your full online subscription is free. All you need to do is call 830-997-2155 to get a password. If you are not a subscriber, call 997-2155 or click on the ‘Subscribe’ button on the left side of the home page and sign up today!