I want to urge the City Council to approve a new animal control building as soon as possible. We have needed a new facility for years, and it is time now.
The City of Midland is building a new facility for $11 million. It will be 18,000 square feet. They have asked Midland County to fund part of this facility.
I did not find the square footage of the proposed new facility for Odessa, so I was unable to compare costs. However, I do believe Ector County should also be contributing to the new facility. I do have a question for Councilman Tom Sprawls. You say that you think we could build a metal building cheaper. But the current building is metal, and the walls are rusting out at the bottom. Why? Will this also be a problem for the new metal building? Concrete walls are also said to be crumbling. Seems maintenance is a big problem. All buildings require regular maintenance in order to stay in good repair. Steps will need to be taken to make sure a new facility will not fall into disrepair.
Odessa has a much bigger abandoned pet problem than Midland. We need to offer a reduced spay and neuter program for those who need help paying for it, maybe based on household income. Even a reduced fee shot clinic would benefit lower income people who would love to adopt a pet. We also need a feral cat program, where these cats are spayed/neuter, ears are marked, and then they can be released back into the city. This would help cut down on rodent problems. There are organizations that help cities set up these programs. Midland has one.
We have excellent rescue groups that regularly pull adoptable animals from OAC and work with other groups across the country to find these animals homes. But they are also overwhelmed with all the abandoned pets.
Owners have treated these animals bad. But our City and County need to step up and help them. A new facility would be a great start.
