The SPCA Serving Erie County broke ground Monday for a new shelter and clinic in West Seneca. It has been more than 50 years since the SPCA first located to Ensminger Road in Tonawanda, but now construction has begun on a state-of-the art shelter at 300 Harlem Road.
Construction is already underway on the $14.9 million facility in a 52,000 square-foot building. The new site will double the current space and is being built on 10 acres of land.
“This is about double the size. We will have room to grow and hopefully be here for another 50+ years," said SPCA Executive Director Gary Willoughby.
The SPCA handles more than 12,000 animals per year.
“There’s a lot of things we try to do. We tried to retrofit a building that wasn’t design to do any of those things. The world of animal welfare has improved so much over the last 54 years,” said Willoughby. "Just having a better space for the people, the volunteers, the surgery areas – all those things add up to a much better experience for the animals in our care."
The SPCA has been conducting a "Raise The Roof” capital campaign over the last five years.
“We have a million dollar right now that we’re about halfway close through matching and once we are done with that, it will be just about be fully funded. So we are really excited,” said Willoughby.
The new facility is expected to be completed by early 2017.
“We don’t have an exact date. Next year. April 4th is our 15 anniversary. We hope to be in there before then. Sometime between January and the end of March," remarked Willoughby.
The SPCA was originally located in downtown Buffalo in 1867.