Building for the Future

New home. New hope. And what you can do to help.

Saving Lives for Half a CenturyFor fifty years, a small cinderblock building on Westside Road has been a source of refuge and hope. The Healdsburg

Animal Shelter was built using private funds, on land made available by the City of Healdsburg at the municipal sewage-treatment plant. Since the beginning of the 1960s, it has cared for countless local animals who

have been lost, abandoned or forced into homelessness—while reuniting many with their families.

As our community has grown, so have the Shelter’s responsibilities. Only 15 dog kennels and housing for approximately 39 cats accommodated the 482 total dogs and cats who entered the Shelter in 2009. The shelter lacks

a sterile examination room, isolation/quarantine dog kennels and a holding room for wildlife. Dogs must be bathed outside in all weather, and kitchen and laundry facilities are simply inadequate.

With today’s facility clearly at capacity, the Shelter’s Board of Directors began planning some years ago to build a replacement. And when vintners Rodney and Charlotte Strong bequeathed a generous contribution in 2006, the Board determined that all proceeds from this trust would be applied to the construction plan.

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“That old shelter saved my life. But it sure was

crowded in there.”

—Spotacus, Dalmatian

The challenge is growing. And so are we.The challenges of a larger animal population aren’t confined to Healdsburg. The Sonoma County shelter that serves communities outside our city limits is overcrowded as well. Through a new HAS-Sonoma County agreement, we look forward to working together, pooling our shelters’ capabilities to provide better service to Healdsburg as well as the surrounding areas of the county.

Clearly, the small facility we’ve occupied for the last half-century lacks the space and capabilities to meet these needs. In addition, the land on which the current Healdsburg Animal Shelter is built still belongs to the City of Healdsburg,

which advised us some time ago that it needs to use the property for other purposes. Faced with these realities, the Shelter’s Board began planning for the development of the new facility we soon will begin building. Situated in a rural creek-side setting surrounded by vineyards, this environmentally responsible structure will be even more convenient and useful to the community than its predecessor.

“An outdoor patio just for us? That architect must be a cat person.”

— the kittens

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Architect’s preliminary model

Designed for our animals—as well as our community.Situated on a 3.7-acre parcel of land at 555 Westside Road, the future Healdsburg Animal Shelter will be directly across the street from its current location. Three times the size of its predecessor, the structure will include approximately 7,000 square feet of facilities. Its comfortable, naturally lit spaces will house more animals, more humanely—creating a less-stressful environment for our animals, as well as those who volunteer to help provide their care.

The new Shelter is intended to become a long-term community asset. Its pleasant meeting spaces will support new programs such as dog-training, pre-adoption and animal-care classes. It also will make possible low-cost medical services such as vaccinations and spay-and-neuter procedures that encourage responsible pet ownership and benefit the community at large. In addition, the enhanced capacity opens the possibility of providing boarding services—an approach successfully used by other shelters to subsidize operating costs.

THE NEW ANIMAL SHELTER

THE OLDANIMAL SHELTER

Dry

Cre

ek

W E S T S I D E R O A D

N

“Yeah— we’re getting our own private entrance. Real VIP treatment.”

—Lobo, Malamute

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Years of planning are about to pay off.More than four years of research and preparation have set the stage for construction of the new Healdsburg Animal Shelter. Of the $4.3 million budgeted for the project, $1.9 million will pay for the hard costs of construction, with an additional $593,000 allocated to design, site preparation, utilities, permits, landscaping and other aspects of development. The site was acquired for $862,000, and required extension of utility services from the City of Healdsburg before building construction could begin.

With the gift of Rodney and Charlotte Strong, we have sufficient resources to build our new facility. To operate responsibly and sustainably, however, our budget includes an additional million dollars to establish a fund to run and maintain the new Shelter.

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$1.9 million

$862,000

$411,000

$182,000

$1 million

Land, Title, City and legal fees

Professionalfees andlicences

Utilities serviceand Improvementsto land

Building, furnishings and fixtures

Sustainability Fund

New Shelter Projected Budget $4.325 million

“Di d somebody say ’walk along the creek’?

Sure beats dodging cars on Westside Road.”

—Peanut Butter, Bichon Mix

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Projected Annual Expenses Incremental increase, New BuildingOld Building

$505,000

$49,500$65,050 $66,211 $67,395 $68,603

$531,200 $547,900 $568,000 $589,600

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

Additional utilty costs, sewer and water

Contract service, maintenance

Increased staff/benefit cost

Environmental Insurance

Earthquake insurance

Casuality/Liability insurance

$3,000 $3,060 $3,121 $3,184 $3,247

$6,500 $6,630 $6,763 $6,898 $7,036

$7,000 $7,000

$30,000

$7,000 $7,000 $7,000

$15,000

$10,200

$30,600 $31,212 $31,836

$10,000

$8,000

$8,160 $8,323

$10,404

$8,490

$10,612

$8,659

$10,824

Projected Increase in Operating Expenses—Detail

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Seventy-five percent of the shelter’s annual income is dependent on the proceeds of its fundraising activities and the community’s donations.

Since its inception, the Healdsburg Animal Shelter has depended primarily on donors and volunteers to fulfill its commitment to our community. Our current facility receives about a quarter of its operating costs from the City, as payment for the Animal Control Services we provide. Those operating costs will grow as we begin caring for greater numbers of animals at our new site.

As with any other commercial or residential development, certain expenses rise along with the scale of the facility. These include insurance coverage, utility costs and reserves for maintenance and replacement due to wear and tear. Accounting for such foreseeable increases, we have made

the creation of a minimum $1 million sustainability fund an integral part of our budgeting for the new facility. Invested conservatively, we believe this will provide a prudent margin of fiscal safety when combined with income from our routine annual fundraising activities and the City’s financial contribution for contract service performed.

Establishing a budget for sustainable services.

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“I sure hope there’s a hideout for us little guys. Those dogs

and cats are scary.”

—Thumper, Rabbit

Living grass roof to insulate against heat and cold

10kw Solar array to offset 50% electrical demand

Electrical recharging stationsfor hybrid vehicles

Clerestory skylights with operable windows

Native and adaptivelandscaping plants and trees

Rain gardens for stormrunoff recapture and reuse

Green architecture that’s environmentally and fiscally responsible.

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To minimize operating costs, as well as the environmental impact of the new Healdsburg Animal Shelter, we engaged Sean Rodrigues, a respected Sonoma County architect who specializes in green and sustainable construction. The facility we’re building will qualify for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) NC Gold certification—a nationally recognized measure of sustainable architecture.

A grass living roof that insulates the interior of the new Shelter’s dog holding area will reduce power costs for heating and cooling. Natural illumination from skylights and LED lighting that uses 80% less electricity will provide additional savings, as will low-energy-use heating and air conditioning. A roof-mounted solar array generating approximately 10kW will offset 50% of the building’s electrical demand. Outside,

landscaping will restore the currently degraded site with native and adaptive plantings and trees. And rain gardens will naturally filter storm runoff to recharge ground water, while capturing enough for landscape irrigation to cut potable water use in half.

“You can’t run around on the new Shelter’s grass roof?

What’s up with that?

—Logan, Cocker Spaniel

LEEDGREENASSOCIATE

17 Canine Kennels

Canine and Feline Kitchens

Vounteer Office

Stray Dog Holding Area

Grooming Area

Isolation & Wildlife RoomsLaundry Room

7 CatCondosOutdoor Cat Porch

2 Cat Open Habitat/Playrooms

Small CritterHolding Area

Reception Area

Multi-purposeCommunity/Board Room

Adoption and Observation Rooms

Fountain Courtyard/Getting Acquainted Area

Vet Examination RoomFeral Cat Holding Area

Staff Break Room

Director’s and Staff Offices

Spay/Neuter Surgery & Treatment Room

Our new Shelter will have the capacity to serve up to 1,000 animals a year—twice our current annual population. Equally important, it will offer those animals better medical care and a more pleasant and stimulating environment from the moment they join us. Separate entrances for human and animal visitors will smooth the way for new arrivals. Dogs will relax in larger kennels with windows for visual stimulation, as well as daytime playgroups with lawns and sand for digging. And a new walking trail along the creek will eliminate the dangers of the present route along Westside Road for animals and volunteers.

Cats, too, will have larger rooms with separation between cats and kittens, and an enclosed outdoor patio. TVs and windows will meet feline needs for audible and visual stimulation.

A less-stressful Shelter benefits everyone, including the volunteers we depend on and the families considering a pet adoption. It’s especially important to the animals themselves, whose adoptability can be greatly affected by their experience while in our care.

Animal-friendly features.

“I wonder if I’ll be able to watch Animal Planet while

my family comes to find me.”

—Eggo, Tabby

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Current plans call for completion of the new Healdsburg Animal Shelter in the spring of 2011. In the meantime, our sustainability campaign seeks to raise the additional $1 million minimum to endow our operating fund. All members of the Shelter’s Board of Directors already have made personal commitments to this campaign.

Combined with the revenues generated from our City contract and our annual fundraising activities, the assets accumulated through the sustainability campaign will provide

the additional income to support the expanded capacity and enhanced community services the new Shelter will offer.

For fifty years, the Healdsburg Animal Shelter has offered new hope and new homes to animals who cannot help themselves. Please support this critical final stage in establishing the facility that will serve our community— animal and human alike—for many years to come.

Your gift helps endow a sustainable future.

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

$152,500

$35,000

$210,000

$105,000

$30,000

$155,550

$35,000

$250,000

$107,100

$30,600

$158,661

$35,000

$277,000

$109,242

$31,212

$161,834

$35,000

$304,040

$111,427

$31,836

$165,071

$35,000

$331,121

$113,655

$32,473

Projected Annual Income—Detail

Projected Return on Investment, Sustainability FundsAdministration: Grants/Bequests/Misc.

Shelter Income: Adoptions/Misc.

Fundraisers: Major/Misc.

Animal Control Income

$1M$1M

$1M$1M

$1M

$1M

So many ways you can choose to help.Every dollar committed to underwriting an element of the new Shelter frees a dollar for permanent investment in our sustainability campaign fund. The examples that follow are just a few of the many opportunities to contribute. Of course, direct cash donations to the fund are equally welcome.

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Internal Opportunities

• Feline Pavilion

• Canine Pavilion

• Pet Treatment Area

• Small Animal/Critter Area (rabbits/hamsters, etc.)

• Wildlife/Exotic Holding Room

• Grooming Room

• Wall of Glass – Panels with donors’ names

External Opportunities

• Entry Title Wall

• Paving Tiles

• Fountain Courtyard – Entire courtyard or elements

• Memorial Pet Wall

• Dog Runs

• Accent trees and sculpture

Other Donation Ideas

• TVs (stimulation for animals)

• Appliances (industrial washer/dryer; kitchen appliances, etc.)

“My family helped underwrite the Shelter’s dog run?

Seriously. We need to talk…”

—Candice, Calico

Opening our doors to a wider community.Through PAWS (Partnership for Animal Welfare Services) with the County of Sonoma, the Healdsburg Animal Shelter is now a resource for the care of stray animals found outside the City limits. Our expanded services now include care and adoption for strays and surrendered animals from

surrounding areas outside city limits including Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley and Eastside/Westside Roads. And when our new facility opens, our ability to aid the community, local pet owners and their animals will be dramatically enhanced.

Santa Rosa

ZIP CODE95448

Cloverdale

Alexander Valley Rd.

Russian River

River Rd.

Dry Creek Rd.

Lake Sonoma

101

101NSonoma

County

Healdsburg

WindsorWestside Rd.

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“Being able to walk in a peaceful, natural setting lifts the spirits of our four-legged friends and ours too.” —Beth, Volunteer

and Lobo, Malamute

Mailing address: P.O. Box 42, Healdsburg, CA 95448

570 Westside Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448Phone: 707.431.3386 • Fax: 707.431.3571

www.healdsburgshelter.org

Design donated by The Van Noy Group, Photography donated by Chris Kittredge

Printed on sustainable paper containing 50% recycled fiber with 30% post consumer waste.

To make a donation today to our Sustainability Campaign, call the Executive Director at 707.431.3386 x17

or send your gift to: