Portales applies for new animal shelter funding

An application requesting funding for a new animal control shelter in Portales has been submitted to the Board of Finance, with the possibility of the city receiving $350,000.

Kelly McClellan, the director for community services, told the council at their regular meeting Tuesday the application that was submitted is 164 pages.

In the application, McClellan said they considered this an emergency for funding due to smaller rooms in the shelter, which means decreased services to citizens.

McClellan said there’s an increased feral population, which means there’s an increase in communicable diseases/aggressive animal interactions, and shelter services now intrude on some fire station space as well.

The new shelter would be larger, and the $350,000 includes design work along with the building itself.

“We aren’t sure about square foot or where it will go,” McClellan said. “We have some tentative ideas on both but with how much construction costs can change between now and then, we are waiting for the funds to get the official blueprints created.”

Mayor Mike Miller said it was the Lt. Gov for New Mexico, Howie Morales, who encouraged the city to apply for this funding.

“He told us he’d get us the money, but somehow he didn’t,” Miller said. Morales is also the chair for the Board of Finance and told Miller he felt bad about not getting the city the money.

Now, “They have emergency funding available, and he asked that we make this application,” Miller said.

The current shelter is at 513 S Roosevelt Road T Place.

The council approved the resolution unanimously, and they’ll now wait for the Board of Finance to make their decision later this month.