News : Vinton animal shelter era officially ends; leaders ponder future of building

The era of the Vinton Animal Shelter came to an official end; county leaders ponder site's future.

The era of the Vinton Animal Shelter officially came to an end this week, as the City of Vinton formally ended its agreement with Benton County regarding the facility that has housed thousands of animals over the years.

County supervisors inspected the building on Tuesday and said they were pleased with how clean the building is. The agreement had called for city crews to clean and winterize the structure. While the shelter has been empty for a few months, the official agreement ended as the fiscal year began July 1.

After years of using the shelter, including director Julie Havran and the group of volunteers who formally incorporated as Friends of the Shelter, Inc. (FOTSI), city leaders replaced their agreements with FOTSI and chose to contract with the Cedar Valley Humane Society of Cedar Rapids. Most county communities as well as the county have agreed to contracts with CVHS. These contracts, however, only cover dogs, not cats.

During the tour, the supervisors said that the new arrangement seems to be working. Auditor Jill Marlow said the total bills for the county for the first quarter of its agreement with CVHS was less than $1,000 – less than expected.

For years, FOTSI members and many volunteers worked to turn the structure from a “pound” where most strays ended up being euthanized to a legally-defined shelter which worked with a variety of organizations and Internet services to find homes for dogs and cats all over the U.S. One stray rat terrier found north of Vinton ended up with a family in Oregon and became a passenger on that family’s kayak trips.

Clubs, organizations and businesses donated time, money and supplies to help care for the animals. At least one Boy Scout earned his Eagle badge in part by leading an improvement at the shelter. Families planted trees in memory of pets; the Virginia Gay Hospital employees also sponsored one of the trees surrounding the shelter.

Kim Fiala was one of the original volunteers; she once received a special award from Mayor John Watson for her efforts.

For Fiala and others, the end of the shelter has been an emotional time.

“There are tears,” Fiala says. “I have so many memories from the shelter – many any great memories, many sad memories, also. FOTSI has done amazing things with so many shelter animals. I am proud to say I use to be a volunteer for many years. I can close my eyes and many animals in need run through my mind – those neglected , left behind, pathetic owners and those also that just could not take care of their pets any longer and trusted the shelter for another option.”

Although members of FOTSI no longer accept strays or relinquished pets, the organization continues to serve animals and owners in a variety of ways.

“FOTSI continues to have adoptable rescued pets for adoption,” says long-time member and volunteer Donita Casey. “Project HELP is fairly new/successful/and evolving, we are working on a trial run next month from our Adoption Center to be a site for the IHA van to come to Vinton (we will provide more information soon).”

FOTSI also we offers microchipping and informative materials and items for pet owners, says Casey. “There are many things happening or planned with FOTSI being mindful of the needs of the community, she says.

“Our Adoption Center is located at 211 W4th St. in Vinton, find us on Facebook, email us at VintonFOTSI@yahoo.com with any questions and see our adoptable pets at petfinder.com. We appreciate those who are new friends or have been with us ....10 years now and counting,” Casey adds.

Call CVHS to pick up strays

Those who have strays to turn over to animal care experts should call the Cedar Valley Humane Society at (319) 362-6288 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday noon to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Future of building in doubt

The supervisors briefly and informally discussed the possibility of leasing the building as they toured it. But Mike Elwick, whose family owns the land surrounding the shelter and has been working on housing plans for that area for many years, says that the deed agreement indicates that if the property ceases to be an animal shelter, it must become a wildlife refuge. Elwick said he plans to discuss this issue with county leaders in the near future.