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by pltm
(PLTM) - Manager at the Humane Society Vijay Bishoondat said despite a myriad of challenges facing the territory’s sole animal shelter, plans are to break ground for their new shelter in Josiah’s Bay by Spring next year.
Bishoondat told BVI Platinum News on Monday, December 6, that plans for the new shelter had to be changed.
“We are still located in the same place at Johnson’s Ghut and hopefully early in 2022 God spare life, we should be able to break ground on our new premises in Josiah’s Bay. We are looking to start maybe sometime April, May of next year.”
He continued: “We had to go back to the drawing board and change a few things around on the plan because where we are moving to is a wetland.”
Bishoondat explained that the initial plan was to have a steel frame building but it will now be a concrete structure with steel incorporated into it because “we would have to compact the foundation with a special kind of gravel which alone would have cost us $60,000 to $70,000 to do that. So the steel frame would have been practical but it would have been costly to erect.”
He said the delay in the construction stemmed from Hurricane Irma and then COVID-19.
“After [Hurricane] Irma the money we had saved up, we had to put it in the structure we are in now to keep the doors open, so we had to dig in the construction fund which put a big hole in the pocket. And then COVID comes around and it was the same thing again, people weren’t being so generous in donating money.”
He said two of their main fund raisers which is the gaming night and the Dog Show was unable to be held for the past two years because of COVID-19.
He said typically they would get about $50,000 in the dog show, adding that “it was a big loss for us.”
According to the shelter’s website, in 2013 the society purchased one acre of land in Josiah’s Bay in order to relocate the shelter from Johnson’s Ghut.
In 2016 a steel structure was purchased and imported into the territory and groundbreaking was intended for 2017.
Following the hurricanes of 2017, the shelter suffered major damage and they had to focus on repairing the structure. In 2019 they were given notice to vacate the premises by the end of that year as the landowners have expressed their desire to develop the property, however they were allowed to remain for the time being.
The plan is to build a larger more modern structure and it is expected to cost between $400,000 to $500,000 and this is based on quotes that they receive from local construction companies in 2019 and they have now managed to raise $147,000 in funds towards the new building.
More Animal Intake
Bishoondat also informed that due to COVID-19 they are having more animal intake as persons are downsizing their apartments and are unable to have the animals with them and they are now at the shelter for adoption.
“Animals are coming through our doors every single day. Our capacity right now is 68 adult dogs, we probably have about 10 puppies and kittens as well. We are always looking for donations, the shelter is non-government funded and by donations is the only way we survive,” he said.
