Parcel eyed for animal shelter

Humane Society aiming to replace burned facility

By Jonathan Heller
STAFF WRITER

April 20, 2001

ESCONDIDO -- It took three months for the Escondido Humane Society to choose a site for a new headquarters after its shelter in Kit Carson Park burned down.

It took less than a day for the City Council to start negotiations for the society to use the 5-acre, city-owned parcel near East Valley Parkway and Lake Wohlford Road.

The society sent a letter to Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler on Tuesday proposing to lease the site. Pfeiler and the rest of the council discussed the proposal in a closed-door session Wednesday night.

Police and fire officials, meanwhile, still have not announced the results of an investigation into the Humane Society fire, such as whether they believe it was caused by an arsonist. The fire, which killed 110 animals, occurred three months ago today.

Escondido Fire Chief Vic Reed said yesterday that the cause was still undetermined. He said three agencies -- the Escondido fire and police departments and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms -- are still investigating.

The society's efforts to relocate could be moving quickly, however.

In its meeting Wednesday, the council did not make a decision about the proposed site, but directed staff to explore the matter.

Phil Morgan, the society's executive director, was surprised to learn yesterday that the council had acted so swiftly. Morgan said Pfeiler has been instrumental in supporting the society's search for a new home.

"If I said I wanted to put it on the moon, she'd figure out a way to make it happen," Morgan said.

Shelter officials are in a hurry to build a temporary structure to relieve crowding at the county-run shelter in Carlsbad. That facility has been housing all stray and impounded animals from inland North County since the Escondido shelter burned.

The other reason for urgency: Without a shelter, the society can't make any money. Much of its income comes from adopting out animals. Since the fire, it has been dependent on donations to get the new project rolling.

So far the society has raised about $1.3 million, Morgan said. It plans to spend $3 million to $5 million on the new facility.

The temporary shelter could be in place by the end of the year. The permanent shelter, which eventually could include an equestrian center and education program, would follow.

The society was leasing the site of its old shelter in Kit Carson Park from the city for $1 a year. That lease was to expire in 2004. The proposed terms of the new lease have not been disclosed.

Shelter officials had considered rebuilding on the same site but decided it was too small, said Tom Knight, president of the board of directors. They also looked at a parcel on Citracado Parkway that was for sale.

The Valley Parkway site "gives us the space we need. It gives us the access and the opportunity to do an equestrian park and other things we haven't done before," Knight said.