SPCA move approved
By Dan Ferguson - Surrey North Delta Leader - May 28, 2008
The current cramped array of aging buildings that houses the SPCA in Surrey could be replaced by a new $6-million structure that would be the largest facility of its kind in the province.
Surrey council has approved the proposed relocation from the current site, which operates within 4,000-sq-ft of space at 6706 152 Street, to a 20,000-sq.-ft. building on an eight-acre site on the southeast corner of Colebrook Road and 176 Street. It would operate under a 60-year lease.
The vote was unanimous.
BC SPCA CEO Craig Daniell was pleased by the outcome, but noted that a final agreement is still a long way off.
"This is just a first step in a long approval process" Daniell said.
The society board of directors also has to approve the proposal and other issues remain to be resolved before construction could begin, possibly late next year if all goes well, Daniell said.
A report to council said the current site "no longer has the physical capacity to house the number of animals who are seized, surrendered, stray or abandoned in the region every year."
The preliminary design for for the concrete and brick facility includes a two-storey office space, room for 24 kennels, and dedicated rooms for cats and small mammals.
There are plans for a livestock barn and paddock.
It's loosely modelled on a smaller SPCA facility recently constructed in Penticton.
The new Surrey building should have enough room to meet animal control needs for the next 25 years, the SPCA believes.
Cost of the new facility will be split by the the society and city.
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