After hearing impassioned testimony from both sides of the issue, the Fairbanks Borough Assembly voted 7-2 on Feb. 12 to push forward with constructing a lavish and highly controversial $33 million animal shelter that critics have dubbed “The Puppy Palace.”
The only two assembly members who voted against the proposal were Tammie Wilson and Brett Rotermund.
Wilson said that she could not, in good conscience, vote for a $33 million facility. She noted that expenditure translates into $1,852 a day for 50 straight years, or $660,000 a year for half a century. Wilson said that kind of money should be going to shore up school roofs, classroom updates and other critical community projects.
Rotermund questioned whether the borough had done its due diligence in looking into other, more cost effective solutions to replacing the old animal shelter. He wanted to know if the borough had conducted a deep dive into other facilities that might be remodeled, and asked for specifics.
He received vague, general answers from borough staff, who claimed it’s simply too expensive to remodel other facilities around town.
Rotermund then questioned whether the borough had to meet all the standards that national veterinarian groups claim are essential in modern day animal shelters, a point that was regularly used in justifying the need for a new facility that would “meet today’s animal welfare, care and handling” as prescribed by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians standards of care.
Borough Attorney Jill Dolan admitted that those standards are not binding on the borough.
Nevertheless, the new facility will include five 15-foot-long individualized outdoor dog play yards to provide “ample room for dogs to stretch their legs,” a walking trail so dogs can go on “enriching walks where they can explore and have attire such as jackets and booties if needed,” a newly designed and fenced “multi-purpose yard,” new drop off kennels that are “kinder and safer,” larger kennels to “comfortably accommodate” bigger dogs, surgery services and natural lighting windows in every kennel.
Rotermund also criticized the borough for failing to adequately maintain the existing shelter facility which was built in 1974. He questioned why the flooring was allowed to wear out and why doors were not working properly.
“Why weren’t those fixed? You got to take care of your stuff,” he said. “Where do you think this building is going to be in 50 years if we treat it like our current building?”
He added that a large contingent of residents opposes the project, which adds $16 million dollars to the previously-approved $17 million that was already approved for the facility, while not significantly increasing the number of animals that can be sheltered.
“I believe there are a huge amount of people out there that share my concerns about this project,” he said, before announcing that he was a “no” vote.
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The other Assembly members gave qualified statements as to why they were going to push forward with the expensive new building.
Garrett Armstrong announced that he received 54 emails in support of the project and 35 opposed. While the Fairbanks Borough has roughly 95,000 citizens, Armstrong said the emails showed him that the majority are in favor of the project and he was a “yes” vote.
Assembly members Patrick Roach and Liz Reeves both admitted that the project was controversial but they said the “perfect” should not be “the enemy of the good.
“We’re never going to get it perfect for everybody,” Reeves quipped. “Yeah it’s still expensive, but it’s a facility that is really different from a home or a store or church…I’m sorry that we can’t please everyone. I really am.”
Assemblyman David Guttenberg admitted that he’d rather spend the $33 million on things like schools or other worthy projects, but he thought the time was ripe to put the money towards a new animal shelter, which he said shows that the community cares about animal welfare.
Assembly members who voted to approve the shelter included the following: David Guttenberg, Garrett Armstrong, Liz Reeves, Nick LaJiness, Kristin Kelly, Scott Crass and Patrick Roach.
