Cochise County is moving forward on a new centralized animal shelter — something the county hasn't had since 2018, a fire damaging the last county shelter in Huachuca City.
The Board of Supervisors voted earlier this week to begin negotiations to purchase a building on Highway 90 in Huachua City to make the project a reality.
Frank Antenori, chair of the Cochise County Board of Supervisors, said the community's voice played a role in the decision.
"You can get a feel from, you know, public input and sentiment that this was something very important to a lot of people," Antenori said.
The county has about $400,000 to put toward purchasing the property. An additional $3 million has been set aside for the overall project, with most of that expected to go toward remodeling the space.
The effort has been eight years in the making. Advocate Mary Moran, who has been vocal about the county getting a centralized shelter, said the milestone is significant.
"The Board of Supervisors have come together and have pushed this forward. It's been a long journey," Moran said.
Currently, the county pays the Douglas and Willcox animal shelters to house animals, costing more than $100,000 a year. Cochise County Board of Supervisors District 2 member Kathleen Gomez said a centralized facility is a step toward improving that situation.
"A central place is a really good way to start that, and, and get everyone on the same page, and working together," Gomez said.
Gomez said she hopes the new shelter will reduce the strain on existing facilities.
"I'd like to see that reduced, because if you go to the Douglas shelter, it was full of county dogs, and it's, it's not a good situation in any shelter. It's a sad thing to see," Gomez said.
Gomez said the project reflects something tangible the county can deliver for residents.
"A lot of people look to the county as trying to fix the problems that they have in their everyday life, and a lot of things we just can't do, but this is one thing we can do, and it's been an ongoing effort. It's not just something that came out of the blue," Gomez said.
The Cochise County Sheriff's Office will run the shelter once it is operational, but Gomez said community support will be essential.
"We're going to really rely on the community to raise the money to volunteer, and there's a lot of volunteers to be able to help us," Gomez said.
Moran said advocates are already working to create a nonprofit to support the shelter's operations.
"It's very exciting, and we're moving forward, but there's still a lot of work to be done," Moran said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
