RENOVATION COMPLETED!!! We still need 3 million dollars to cover the cost - please donate! . Thank you!

October 19- The long road is over. Five years of planning, a year and a half of construction, and we are finally done! The best part is, the renovation has fulfilled our goals:

1. Provide housing designed to reduce stress and disease for all animals in our care so they are healthier, happier and more adoptable. Gone are the days of dogs frantically barking and jumping, gone are the days of kitties sleeping in their litter boxes due to stress. Our million dollar air handling system is doing its job, virtually eliminating disease in the building and significantly reducing stress in the animals by controlling the smell of other animals. Humans notice too. There is virtually no odor- the air is fresh and clean.

2. Create a warm, relaxing, efficient, eco-friendly facility that will welcome more potential adopters and supporters. Indeed, from the moment we opened the new Adoption Center the number of people visiting has skyrocketed, and with that significantly more adoptions! More pets homeward bound!

3. Provide space to support Humane Education Programs, Dog Obedience Training and Community-oriented Seminars. We are already offering Dog Obedience and Agility Training, and are gearing up for some great seminars and Humane Education programs!

The renovation is not about looks. By fulfilling the goals above, we have successfully increased the numbers of animals we help. This renovation is specifically designed to fulfill the Vision of the MCSPCA:

The Vision of the MCSPCA is that we will be established firmly with our own unique identity throughout NJ and the animal welfare community as a leader in all things related to animals in Monmouth County and the people who care for them. We will be responsible for ensuring that all animal abuse is prosecuted and will increase our support of campaigning for the rights of animals in NJ. We will be a strong partner with other animal welfare organizations throughout the state in order to develop and share best practices, and to work together to make NJ a place where every animal is treated with respect, kindness and love.

Thank you everyone who has followed my little "blog." Thank you to the dedicated staff and volunteers at the MCSPCA who worked so hard during this renovation to reduce the impact of the construction on all the animals. You all made such a difference making this renovation bearable for the animals, and your amazing cooperation with the builders made the renovation go faster. And thank you to everyone who has supported this project. Without you this could never have happened. The people of Monmouth County have spoken - animals deserve better than chain link and concrete block. Animals deserve light, bright, stress-free housing while waiting for their second chance. Thank you everyone!

If you haven't visited the new MCSPCA and Homeward Bound Adoption Center yet, what are you waiting for?

September 19 - You might be wondering, why so quiet? Are you done or what??? We've just been finishing up the thousands of tiny details needed to complete the building. We go through our final walk-though on Monday to generate our last punch list! Yeah, and, scary! And, we are waiting for our Certificate of Occupancy. We've passed all our inspections, once we get the CO then we can finally move into Phase 2!

Above is the "Welcome" sign that is over our new Visitor Desk, waiting to greet people.

Save the date - we will be having our Grand Opening and Family Festival on October 17! Please come help us celebrate the completion of this amazing project. More info soon!

August 8 - With the addition of the awnings, the dream has become reality. Wow.

Construction might be almost done, but we must raise $3.3 million to cover the costs of this project. With the economy, our capital campaign has struggled.

We need your help, please donate!

Click here to donate over our secure server, choose "Building renovation Fund"

Or send a check to MCSPCA with "for renovation fund" in the memo section to 260 Wall Street, Eatontown, NJ 07724





August 2 - Almost There
Back in 2006, all we had was a dream, just drawings to show the future. Shown to the right is the image of the future we all held on to, what all the hard work would turn out to be, a wonderful place for both humans and animals.








The drawings are almost reality. To the left is the building facade as of last Friday. Still missing a transom over the front doors and awnings over the windows, but still beautiful. We decided to separate the Adoption Center a bit, giving it a name fitting to its purpose- "Homeward Bound Adoption Center" a place where more and more animals will be given the chance to find their forever homes. Soon, the awnings and transom will be installed, and the drawing to truly come to life!







Things are rapidly changing on the inside of the building. Millwork is almost complete. To the left is the new copy center in Administration. To the right is the Visitor Desk, waiting for its granite counter top (donated by a very generous vendor) and signage saying "Welcome" we can't wait!






Of course, we cannot lose sight of why we are doing this -for the animals! To the left is just one of over 200 cats waiting for their new loving homes. The cats do love their new housing. Our research turned out to be true - the cats are much more relaxed, and that less stress results in healthier cats. For the first time in her 18 years experience here at the MCSPCA, head vet tech Stacy reports she has no cases of upper respiratory infections in the building. Amazing!

Even better, in the old building things were so stressful that kitties would take refuge in the only place they could- their litter box. Now, very very few kitties sleep in their litter boxes!

Even though the cats really like their new digs, they would much prefer a loving home. please visit the new Homeward Bound Adoption Center at the MCSPCA and see if one of these deserving kitties is your new best friend.



July 13 - Phase 2 Finish work in Progress!

On one hand, finish work is detail work and so takes time, on the other to those of us on the building committee time is flying! Even with only a few weeks left of construction, there are still snags of course. Turns out our beautiful new front doors had a production problem and are late. So, we are stuck with a very ugly temporary door, shown to the left. Hard to imagine that very soon, people will actually be using the real doors!

You can see our new lights up top of the building. They look huge, but once the awning and signage go up right under them, they will look more in proportion.

It is very exciting to see that some sub-contractors are cleaning out their stuff in the building, actually moving out since their work here is done! Shown to the right is one pile o'stuff waiting to be taken to the next job. Buh-bye stuff, you served us well but we are glad to see you go since it means we are almost done! Yeah!

This author has been accused of being a geek and well, so be it. Gotta take some geek photos! The new building is very complicated and full of new electronics, wiring and plumbing. Below are some pics of geek-stuff - first a photo of our new boilers, second a photo of new wiring, and third a photo of our huge new circuit breaker boxes. Such a change from our old building, this new building can actually be called a "plant" how cool is that?

June 14 - Phase 2 Hurtling Towards Completion!
A lot is going on - drywall is being installed, acoustic foam sprayed in the ceiling to reduce noise, sprinklers, plumbing and electrical systems are all going in. to the right is what will be our Visitor Desk. The top is complete, now it is waiting for the millwork base to be built. The interior has been painted, the ceiling tile grids are installed, all the windows are in and most doors.

The four long and skinny rooms that used to hold dogs and cats are getting refurbished with new acoustical treatment in the ceiling, new ductwork to carry new fresh air for the animals, and each room will be powerwashed to get them back practically to new. These rooms will be used for Lost and Found when Phase 2 is complete. To the right is a photo of one of the rooms, you can see the new ductwork and spray acoustical foam on the ceiling.


Construction has uncovered a lot of the old building that has been buried by past renovations and additions. Recently we found a beat-up piece of wooden beam in the ceiling that we think might date back to the very beginning of the building. It is amazing to think about the changes this building has been through since its first incarnation in the early 1960s as the "pound" where second chances for the animals who entered its doors were rare. Today, the Monmouth County SPCA is a safe haven for thousands of animals a year and second chances happen every day for the dogs, cats, bunnies, Guinea Pigs, hamsters, gerbils, birds, wildlife and even exotics like snakes and iguanas who find themselves homeless and in need of help. This new building will enable us to help even more animals, and we can't wait for it to be complete!



May 17 - An Extreme Makeover is Taking Shape



What a difference a few weeks makes. One minute, the front of the building is ripped off, the next a beautiful new facade is in place. What a facelift the MCSPCA is undergoing! A new vestibule and main entrance are visible now, waiting for new windows and doors. The new Visitor Center will be a light and bright welcoming place for all, humans and animals alike.

To the right is not a spaceship but the framing for our new Visitor Center Welcome Desk and right next to it is a photo of it with some drywall applied. Who knew you could apply drywall to such a curved surface? The Visitor Desk will be the first thing you see and behind it will be helpful MCSPCA staffers waiting there to guide you.

You can't really tell in the photo to the left but this is going to be our big new Community Room. We cannot wait to finally have the space to offer a full range of dog obedience training, animal-themed seminars, humane education classes and much much more. No more cramped volunteer orientation meetings!







April 15 - Wow! Look what's missing!


The front of the Monmouth County SPCA was ripped off earlier this week! We are getting a face lift the hard way- with a bulldozer! Off with the old facade to get ready for our new entrance. Someday a brand new facade with a beautiful central entrance will be where this empty space is, welcoming visitors to our brand new center!



Small finishing details go in everyday. Last week, the signage for our adoption area was finally installed. We called it Matchmaker Central - since this is the place where adoptors will talk with Adoption Counselors who are specially trained to help families make the best match for them by using the ASPCA's Meet Your Match program. Very Cool!



March, 29 - Phase 2 in full swing!
Things have been quiet on this page since Phase 2 started since, well, demolition is pretty boring to this author. Maybe not to the reader though, so here are a few photos of the demolition in the front of the building to make way for our new Visitor Center. These photos show what is left of the front desk and clinic reception areas.
      

    

What a mess! Actually is it quite the controlled mess. So far the demo has gone well - the roof turned out not to hide any nasty surprises despite some concerns that it would due to previous construction, but they did find unexpected layers of concrete and footings where they should not be that required some extra work (and lots of noise and dust, yuck). Typical for a renovation though and so far things are going easier than Phase 1.

Our favorite discovery was the old facade of the building, shown to the right. Those two small windows and the brick are on what used to be the old exterior wall that has been covered up by drywall for years and years now (when they added the front desk area). In front of the brick wall were blue stone pavers, the old entranceway! It is hard to believe how small the building used to be, and what a different world it was back then, when the MCSPCA was more of a "pound." We are so happy to leave that era behind, and move forward to a time when every adoptable pet in Monmouth County and New Jersey has a loving home. This renovation was specifically designed to significantly increase adoptions, so that goal is possible.

Construction should progress rapidly now, so this page will be updated more often. Stay tuned!


February 13 - MOVE IN DAY!!!
First thing in the morning, a huge team of volunteers and staff showed up to put on the finishing touches to the shiny new Adoption Center, to get ready for the animals to move in. There was a lot to do - all the final little details meant a lot of work! The MCSPCA is extremely lucky to have so many dedicated staff members and volunteers who were willing to work so hard for the animals. Shown to the right is Windell, an Animal Attendant who is our Glass Cleaner Extraordinaire. He could clean the gazebos in record time, leaving no streaks!!! Amazing!



Our Executive Director, Ursula Goetz (shown to the left), pitched in and cleaned the glass doors of the kitty kubbies.


Every leaf of the cat trees had to be perfect - Board member Laurie Garrison (shown to the right) is rearranging an errant leaf. Every detail counts for opening day!


Every Doggie Dig needed a Kuranda Bed put together and placed in each gazebo. Thanks go to Donna Parciak and Bob Downer, who successfully avoided all cameras, on putting all the beds together in time for the dogs to move in.

Finally, everything was ready, waiting for the arrival of the animals...

      


Then it was time! Time to move the animals in! First, the cats went in the first gazebo one by one. Our dedicated vet technicians, Stacy, Joanne and their colleagues, medically checked each and every cat, all 130 of them, to make sure they were healthy before moving them in. Then each cat made the journey from "Kansas" to "Oz" in a carrier, going from a crate to the new, spacious gazebo bathed in natural light. Being cats, they of course viewed their new digs with some trepidation and consternation. You know, those trees might be dangerous! Much sniffing and circling had to happen before the trees were accepted and then, boom! The trees were covered in cats!



Then, it was time for the First Dog to go in. We were all very excited to finally get the dogs into the new digs since they had it the hardest during the renovation, cramped into what used to be our Training Room. Appropriately, a small, white dog named Fluffy, who was scared and alone in her old crate, was moved in first. Shown to the left is Board Member Jerry Rosenthal and Executive Director Ursula Goetz following long-time supporter Margrit McCrane escorting Fluffy into the new Adoption Center. To the right is shown Margrit with Fluffy on her very own Kuranda bed. Fluffy chilled out immediately, clearly calmer than in her crate in the training room, and was soon adopted!



One of our favorite design elements (besides the cat trees already discussed) are the paw-shaped sniff holes put into each an every animal living area. Are they cute or what?

      




After all the preparation, things went very quickly getting over 30 dogs, 130 cats and 10 exotics into the new Adoption Center. A very exciting and gratifying day!

Once again, we thank all the staff and volunteers for all their hard work. It all paid off seeing the animals in their beautiful new homes, seeing proof that all our special design elements worked to calm and soothe the animals. All the hard work was well worth it!

To the left, Bella says "here I am - adopt me!"




More photos from opening day:

	Want to name a Doggie Dig or Kitty Kubbie in honor or memory of a loved person or pet? Click here!

And finally, to the left is Board member Kim Ruane standing behind the now-empty old front desk. Kim is also on the Renovation Committee and is very very happy that finally the old world is gone and the animals are in their new, comfy digs.

For more photos including some "before" and "after" photos, check out volunteer Val Craig's most excellent photo page






February 11 - MOVE IN TIME!!!

These are amazing times. Finally, the animals will be moving into their new digs in the new Adoption Center. Everyone has been working feverishly to clean 17 gazebos (Shown are Trudy and Charles working hard!), 66 Kittie Cubbies, 38 Doggie Digs, 21 dog kennels, 24 cat ISO cages and two wildlife cages. 104 water bowls had to be cleaned and placed, 80 litter pans filled and placed, the new Pet Pantry had to be stocked, the new Vet Tech center had to be stocked, and 10 closets have to be stocked. A lot of work!

Best of all though was the much awaited placement of the cat trees into the gazebos. These trees are custom made by a lovely woman in Florida who really understands cats. These threes have many places for the kitties to climb around in, platforms on top for them to perch amongst the leaves (made of non-toxic plastic of course) and even fake birds (shown to the right) attached for the kitties to admire!

So, tomorrow Feb 13, the animals will finally leave the old way of animal sheltering and enter into a world of natural light, fresh air, and no bars. When all is said and done, the new Adoption Center will be christened the Homeward Bound Adoption Center, and we put this quote (below) on our Matchmaker Central Adoption Desk to always remind everyone why.



HUGE thanks go to all the staff and volunteers who helped clean and set up, thanks go to JC from BurMarc, Bob and Anna of KGD Architects, and everyone else who made this amazing thing happen for the animals!


January 2009 - Happy New Year!

Sometimes it seems that another word for construction should be "delays." Or how about "whoops?" Things have been going so well it was only a matter of time before something went wrong. Sure enough, 25 glass panels of our gazebos came in with the wrong measurements. They take 2 weeks to fabricate. Doh! And in Construction World, one delay means more follow. So here we are, over a month late.

But, even at this seeming snail's pace, things are happening. The Cat Gazebos are 90% finished and look gorgeous. The Kitty Kubbies are all in, shimmed, caulked and best of all, labeled! Since we have 66 Kitty Kubbies, we had to label them to keep track of them all!





As mentioned in our previous entry, the Dog Gazebos are much more complicated and are harder to build. They are about 75% complete. We can't wait till the dogs and cats move in - you can almost imagine Fluffy and Fido in their new digs, can't you?

One thing we love about the new Center is the natural light. In the photo on the left you can see the light glinting off of the gazebo trim from the windows directly across from them. The photo to the right shows how much light comes into one end of the Center. Actually, both ends of the Center have windows on two sides, so the light is just amazing. Natural light makes such a difference, we know it will really help reduce stress for the animals.




As mentioned, there is a lot of labeling going on. Building Committee member Kim Ruane spent days looking for the perfect font for our signage and found one that is so appropriate - it is called Superhero! We love it!


Even though things hit a snag, everything is going pretty well. The new Center is shaping up beautifully, and once the gazebos are complete, we hope to move the animals in. So keep your fingers crossed for us that this is the last snag we hit!

December 21 - Things are really shaping up!

Computer troubles delayed updating this page, but there has been plenty of stuff happening at the new Adoption Center. Most of the Cat Gazebos are up, and on the Dog side much progress has been made. To the left is a photo of the Dog Gazebos under construction. The Dog Gazebos are a bit more involved than the Cat Gazebos since they have to have partitions to separate the dogs. Each Dog Gazebo also has 4 doors (since each will hold 4 dogs in separate Doggie Digs), which makes things more complicated. Still, the contractors are making progress even with the break for Thanksgiving.

The Kitty Kubbies have been installed, an amazing feat considering each bank of kubbies weighed 600lbs! To the right you can see the kubbies now installed with cabinets above for storage. Aren't they beautiful? They will be even more gorgeous once kitties are in them!

See the white circles in the walls of each Kubbie? That is a removable partition, so we can open it up and let kitties go between two Kubbies for more room or if we have a litter of kittens and they need more room. You can see the paw-shaped sniff holes at the top of the glass door for each Kubbie - too cute!

The new building has a lot of millwork going in, and one of the things we were very excited to see was the desk for Matchmaker Central where our Adoption Counselors will be stationed, ready to help people find the dog, cat, bunny or other furry that is the perfect match for their family. You can see it to the left - those octagon-shaped thingies on the top of the desk are going to hold our brochures and other information. This is the first thing you will see upon entering the Adoption Center, that and a Cat Gazebo full of kitties!

Now is the time for the tiniest detail to be addressed, a lot of finish work to be done and then, we move in! Woo!



November 23 - THE GAZEBOS ARE HERE! THE GAZEBOS ARE HERE!

What an exciting time - on Friday at 8AM, our gazebos were delivered. Seventeen gazebos filled an 18-wheeler. Getting them out was a very delicate operation - who knew a fork lift driver could maneuver a giant machine with such delicacy? Despite very tight quarters that forced him to lift the pallets full of glass up and over various obstacles, not a single pane of glass was damaged. Whew! Admittedly it was a bit nerve-wracking to watch the pallets being moved around, and then each pane of glass had to be hand-carried into the building.

To the left is the result of the 18-wheeler full of stuff moved into our Adoption Center. Piles and piles of glass, waiting for our sub-contractor to come and put them together like giant puzzles. We finally got to see one of our favorite things about the new building - an idea we "stole" from the ASPCA in New York City - paw-shaped sniff holes! Dogs and cats will be able to use these sniff holes to interact with potential adopters. Are they cool or what?




At 6:00PM (3 hours late), the truck showed up with our 26 units of Kitty Kubbies. Since they were so late most people went home, so our poor Executive Director and our dedicated staff member Charlie helped the truck driver unload the truck. A lot of work! Thank you Ursula and Charlie!

To the left is a unit of four Kitty Kubbies. As we said, there are no bars in the Adoption Center- the Kitty Kubbies have glass doors. It is hard to see, but each Kubbie has its own paw-shaped sniff hole near the top of the door. Also hard to see is the resting platform each kubbie has, a place for kitties to either sleep under or on top of, which helps reduce stress for them. Each kubbie also has its own water bowl attached to the door so the kitties can't accidentally knock over the bowls and spill water on themselves. The kubbies will be placed on bases so the kitties in the bottom cages will be easy to see by potential adopters.


Bright and early on Saturday, our sub-contractor started putting into place a giant assembly line that would enable them to build the gazebos. To the left you can see the assembly line, to the right is a gazebo under construction. They started in the Cat Adoption Center, and by Sunday morning they had three gazebos nearly completed.




To the right you can see two of them. The glass is dusty from construction, but once it is clean you will be able to see through all of them right down to the end of the Center. WOW! Aren't they beautiful? During our Home for the Holidays event we gave a few tours and are proud to announce that the sight of these gorgeous gazebos brought tears to people's eyes. To imagine kitties lounging in these gazebos, in peace and quiet without a dog in sight, seems like a dream come true and it is! The dream that animals would not have to live in crates and chain link, that they would be able to have a place where they can recover from hardship and upheaval in peace and quiet, a place offering them their best chance for a happy new beginning, the dream that animals deserve better, has come true.

To the left is the inside of a gazebo. Very spacious, and very beautiful. This new Adoption Center is going to be wonderful for the animals, but also wonderful for humans. People will come to our facility and find a bright and open space, quiet and full of fresh air. A beautiful, state-of-the-art facility that will result in more adoptions.

A dream come true on so many levels!


While the Cat Adoption side is shaping up rapidly, the Dog Adoption side waits for its gazebos. This side needs laminate to be applied before the gazebos can go up, and that happened just this Saturday. So, the Cat side gets done first, then they move to the dog side early this week.

More pix-


  

To the left you can see how the gazebos will run through the center of the Cat side, and the right hand side will have kitty kubbies lining the wall. You can see a bank of kubbies sitting on the floor on the right, waiting for installation on their base. Look at all the natural light - it is so wonderful to walk through the old part of the shelter and enter the bright light of the new Adoption Center. It truly is amazing.

This week they will be working 16 hour days to finish the gazebos in time so they can all fly home for Thanksgiving. So wish them all luck, because if they make that goal, it is all that quicker for the animals to be able to move in!

All of us at the MCSPCA have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We thank JC of BurMarc for doing a simply amazing job in tough circumstances, we thank Anna and Bob at KGD Architects for working so hard on coordinating the work with Snyder Manufacturing and also with JC to deal with all the unexpected things that happen on this job, we thank all the MCSPCA staff and volunteers who deal with the construction conditions and work so hard that all the animals are as comfortable as possible during these tough times, and finally thank all of our supporters who have helped make this project possible. THANK YOU and have a wonderful holiday.

November 9 - Almost DONE!

Wow! We are now entering the home stretch for Phase 1 - the new Adoption center. We cannot explain how excited we are that soon the animals in our care will be living in a brand new, beautiful, state-of-the-art facility. The results of four long years of research, planning and hard work are finally taking shape and completion is in sight. All our new systems, the HVAC, lights, etc., are being tested and should be on-line next week.

To the left you can see the cat side of the Adoption Center. The first coat of the 3-step epoxy floor has been put down. Once the floor is done, the gazebos and cat cottages will go in.

The floor is going in starting in the Cat Adoption Center, moving down the building to the dog side. As they march down the building installing the floor, other contractors are furiously finishing the lighting, ceiling tiles, and the thousands of other jobs that need to be done to complete the Center. To the right is the dog side, waiting for the floor!

As we have noted before, being on the Building Committee means you get excited about the strangest things. Telephone poles, generators, HVAC equipment, stuff that before we got on this committee would have left us yawning. This week, our source of excitement is the humble light switch. Shown to the left - a light switch! Yes, the new Adoption Center is so close to being done that light switches are installed!



To the left is the other side of the Dog Adoption Center. The dog side has 10 Dog Gazebos in two rows. The concrete walls you can see to the left will separate the rows of gazebos from each other. The window you can see at the end looks into Matchmaker Central, the place where our Adoption Counselors will work to help people find the best match between adoptable pets and their family. To the right is what is on the other side of that window - Matchmaker Central will be an open space with work areas for our Adoption Counselors so they have room to talk with people. On the other side of Matchmaker Central are two Meet and Greet Rooms, where adoptors will be able spend time with a pet they are considering adding to their family.

We are really hoping to move all the animals into their new digs in 2008 - so keep your fingers crossed that all goes well! The next tricky part is the installation of the gazebos. Manufactured in Iowa by Snyder Manufacturing, they are expected to arrive Thanksgiving week and boy will we have something big to be thankful for when the gazebos show up!

As noted on our home page, the Grand Re-Opening of the Maureen O'Brien Cats and Dogs Thrift Store will be November 14 at noon. Hope to see you there!

October 26- Ceiling Tiles and flooring!


Going with our gazebos results in an octagon shape, which means the guys installing the dropped ceiling have a lot of intricate cutting to fit. They are doing a great job! The metal framework is all in, and now the ceiling tiles are going in. We are using special ceiling tiles that are somewhat waterproof, and best of all are made of special acoustic material to absorb sound. Remember one of our mandates is to reduce stress for the animals and a major way to do that is by reducing noise. An environment such as ours, which requires hard surfaces that we can easily clean, is by nature very noisy. As we wrote earlier, we have three main design points to mitigate noise - 1. Control smell so dogs bark less; 2. spray above the dropped ceiling with special acoustic foam; 3. Use special acoustic ceiling tiles. Obviously #1 makes things a lot easier since less barking = less noise! Whatever noise is left over, mostly from people, will be absorbed pretty well by our ceiling treatments.


We are putting a special floor made of epoxy. JC from BurMarc has put down a test for us since the floor is made up of a level of grit to stop people from slipping. We get to throw water on it next week to test out the slippery-ness! How cool is that? There is a fine line between too much grit which will scratch up dog paws and too little grit which will mean the floor is too slippery. To the right is a photo of the test portion - in this small part of the Adoption Center you can almost imagine what it is going to look like finished and we can tell you it is going to be gorgeous!



And the Thrift Store is finally almost ready to go! We have our TCO and started taking donations from volunteers last week. This week we will start taking donations from the public. Drop-off times are Monday-Friday 10am-4pm (click here for more info). Empty racks are waiting for your donations! The new thrift means new procedures, like now all merchandise will be bar-coded upon receiving so we can track all sales. Cool! We are really looking forward to our Grand Opening, stay tuned to this website for that date!



Please support our renovation - donate online over our secure server and choose "Building Fund." Thank you!

October 19- Paint!
We are using special paint called Sanifiber to give all the walls in the Adoption Center a beautiful, impervious and very durable surface. We chose a nice warm shade called "Inviting Ivory" to foster a calming, soothing feel for people and animals alike. It is hard to tell in the photos since the windows are covered, but it is quite nice!

To the left is a photo looking down the Cat Adoption Center. You can see the soffits outlining where the gazebos will be. The walls jutting out on the right hand side have doors in them since the gazebos will adjoin them, creating three separate suites. If a kitty accidentally gets loose, there is only so far he can go.



To the right is a photo showing the piping that will go to each cat cottage. There are 66 cat cottages where individual kitties will live while waiting for their new home. We needed individual housing for cats in "transition" who came in as strays, are now up for adoption but still need isolation time before they can go into a gazebo colony. Of course some kitties prefer to be alone, so they will not go into a gazebo. Each individual cat cottage will get its own air supply - fresh air will enter from the front and be pulled through the back of each cottage (gently of course) so that even cats in neighboring cottages will not share air. This means no spread of disease or odor. Very exciting!




The new Thrift Store is getting its finishing touches. Last week the awning went up, with the store's new name - "The Maureen O'Brien Cats and Dogs Thrift Store." Maureen was a longtime supporter of our organization and especially our Thrift Store. She was kind enough to remember us in her will, we will miss her terribly but are happy that she is memorialized on the building she loved to support.

We have our temporary Certificate of Occupancy and are now waiting for our computer system to be up and running. Once that happens, we will be ready to take donations. Stay tuned!

September 28- Slow Progress

A lot of work has been going on, most of it hidden in the ceiling. Almost of the complicated HVAC work is complete, data and telephony wiring is in for the most part, plumbing for water and the sprinkler system is almost done. Much planning and maneuvering are happening now to get ready for the "big switch" when we move all the animals from the front of the building into their new digs in the new Adoption Center. We can't wait!

To the left you can see that the soffits for the gazebos are drywalled. This is the Cat Adoption wing, and looking at the photo you can imagine what the line of glass gazebos are going to look like. The same thing is happening on the dog side, shown to the right.

The concrete walkways in the back of the building are taking shape. As you can see to the left, there will be a concrete walkway along the entire back of the building with walkways going to each door. On the Dog side, there are a lot of doors, this photo shows three of them.

All very exciting stuff and even though it is hard to tell, we are moving rapidly to the wonderful day when the animals can move in! Stay tuned here for info on when that will happen.

Many of you are probably wondering - what about the Thrift Stop? As you can see to the right, it looks finished doesn't it? Well, it is finished but we need to get our final inspections. Once we get those, we will start accepting donations. We will announce that as soon as we can on our home page.

September 14- The Hard Part Begins

There is a tremendous amount of "stuff" that has to go in the ceiling. Electricity, fire sprinkler plumbing and data wiring all has to squeeze in around our state-of-the-art HVAC system. Because the new Center is designed to use 100% outside air, the ductwork takes up a lot of room. This means our contractor has to essentially put together a giant puzzle up in the ceiling, finding every available space and using every inch for the required systems. To the left you can see two runs of ductwork in the Cat Adoption Center, and to the right is a close-up shot of it. There are two runs of ductwork on the cat side, one run for the gazebos and one for the kitty cottages that will hold individual cats. A favorite design feature of the renovation is that every cat in each individual space will get their own air. No more smelling other kitties, no more spreading of upper respiratory disease from one cat to another. We can't wait! But in the meantime, our contractor is working quite hard to try and fit everything in the tight space. JC and BurMarc Construction are doing an amazing job. Thank you!


Another design feature we love is the fact that on the dog side, there are many doors. There is a door for every passageway between the gazebos, ensuring that getting a dog out for a walk is much easier than it has been in the old shelter. Instead of trying to walk past 20-30 dogs in order to get out through the garage, now the dogs will have to walk past only 4-7 dogs, down a very short passageway on their way out to a beautiful wooded space for their walk. To the right you can see these doors, aren't they gorgeous?

Finally, the Thrift Shop is waiting for final inspections and then we can get a temporary Certificate of Occupancy, at which time we can start setting it up. Stay tuned, soon we will need donations!

August 15- We Have Doors and Insulation!

All the windows and doors have been installed and what a difference they make as shown to the left. The Adoption Center is now completely enclosed and it feels "real" now. You can see the soffits for the dog gazebos on the ceiling, waiting for our sub-contractor, Snyder Manufacturing, to install them. Snyder is custom-crafting our gazebos and likes our idea so much they are selling it to other shelters. How cool is that?

To read about the gazebo and new Adoption Center concepts, scroll down or click HERE.



To reduce stress for the animals while they wait for their new homes, one thing we wanted to accomplish was peace and quiet for them. One way (of many we are implementing) to accomplish that is with special blow-in insulation. You can see to the right that it made the interior of the Adoption Center look like it snowed! You can see the insulation sticking to the ceiling beams - only about an inch or so sticks but it is very effective at absorbing sound. This will help deaden the sounds of animals and people in the Adoption Center, making it less stressful for everyone.




One thing we are really looking forward to is the fact that the new center will be protected by a back-up generator. Just like we got excited about a new telephone pole, we felt the need to take a photo of our new generator, which just looks like a giant box. But, it is a very pretty giant box, don't you think? Especially when you realize that in case of a storm or emergency, the animals in our care will have heat, air and electricity.

August 3 - We Have Windows!


Nearly all the windows have been installed in the new Adoption Center. To the left shows the windows plus the opening for a door. In the Dog Wing of the Adoption Center, we have 6 doors, one for every corridor between the Dog Gazebos. This will make for very easy dog walking, since a dog will only have to pass at most 7 dogs on his way out for a walk. This is a big improvement over the old kennel where sometimes you would have to walk a dog past 20 or more other dogs to get outside, causing much stress and anxiety for all the dogs concerned, and a very tough job indeed for the person trying to get the dog out. We are really looking forward to having all these doors!


Even more exciting than windows are the soffits that are in place on the ceiling in the dog wing. To the right you can see the metal framing for the soffits. You can see the octagonal outline, the shape of a gazebo! The soffit will meet with the glass of the gazebo,creating a closed space for the dogs.

It is amazing how quickly the Adoption Center is coming together. With the windows installed and now the outlines of the gazebos in place, it really looks like something in there!


Being on the MCSPCA Building Committee carries a lot of responsibility. Every penny we spend is another penny we have to raise from people like you since we get little or no government or county funding. The renovation is funded by donations. So, when we make a mistake, it hurts.

To the left is a very expensive hole. Walking through the building after a meeting with the contractors and architects, we noticed that somehow we neglected to put in a window in the Adoption Office (called Matchmaker Central) so our Adoption Counselors could see into the Dog Wing and more importantly, so the public could see our Adoption Counselors.

So, we had to have the contractor cut out a window into a newly-built wall in the Adoption Office looking into the Dog Adoption Center, shown above. Our first Change Order. Keep your fingers crossed that we did not miss anything else!

Being on the Building Committee also makes us get excited over crazy things. We took a picture of a new telephone pole, shown to the left (behind it is the new Thrift Shop still under construction). Because the new building will require more electricity (primarily because of the new HVAC system), the new phone poles are a lot taller than the old ones! We thought the new poles were very cool. Apparently the new transformer will be gigantic. I am sure we will post photos of that too!

The Thrift Shop construction is coming along, we are waiting for Verizon to install the wiring and for various inspections so we can get started setting it up. We'll keep everyone posted about its progress, and an announcement about when we can take Thrift Shop donations will be on our home page when we are ready.

July 19 - We Have More Roof!

The underlayment has gone up on the roofing of the new Adoption Center, and giant boxes of roofing material now sit on the top of the roof, waiting for installation next week. To the left is the new Dog Adoption Center - here you can see how the left-hand corner of the Center will have two walls of glass, letting in tons of light for the doggies waiting for new homes. Our new windows are set to be delivered next week, which will mean the building will finally be enclosed.

To the right is the new Cat Adoption Center, looking down towards the center of the building. At the end you can see one of our new Meet and Greet Rooms (the dark door on an angle). That is also where our new Matchmaker Central Adoption Desk will be, the central hub of the new Adoption Center where people will talk with Adoption Counselors and fill out applications to get ready to adopt.

To the right is our new Exotics Room, which is directly across from the new Adoption Desk. Finally, rabbits, Guinea Pigs, hamsters, birds and other "exotic" pets will have their own room, away from the hustle and bustle of traffic. This is good since these pets are very sensitive and lots of activity can be very stressful for them. Best of all, rabbits and hamsters won't be stared at by their predators, cats, anymore like they are now!


Our new Thrift Shop is coming along also. To the left is the new shop, drywall is going up and they are busy spackling. The new space is giant, and the new shop will be amazing! We are really looking forward to when we can re-open the Thrift Shop. Stay tuned to our website to find out when we can start taking donations again (probably not till mid-to-late August sometime).

July 4 - We Have Part of a Roof!
It sure will be nice when the new Adoption Center is finally enclosed so we are not so dependent on the weather. Significant progress has been made with interior/exterior masonry and the beams that will support the new roof are going up. To the left is a view standing in the Dog wing, looking out towards the back of the building, and to the right is a view of the interior of the Dog wing. Here you can see the concrete walls that are going to separate the dog gazebos. They also will hold various electrical and plumbing whatnot.

The exterior walls for the Adoption Center are nearly complete and you can see the new addition on the right-hand side of the building, so it looks like it is supposed to! Note the addition looks different than the rendering we have on-site (and in the rendering if you scroll down on this page). That is because we decided to put a row of kitty condos on that front facing wall and so could not have full-sized windows. Instead, we put in transom windows that will let lots of natural light in but will not make it too hot for the kitties in their new digs. To the right shows the new addition from the inside. Here you can see the transom windows, and can imagine where the new Kitty condos will go right under them.

The photo on the left shows Building Committee member Kim Ruane standing in our new FIV Kitty Adoption Room, which is in the new addition. The room is divided into two parts - a kitty playroom where many FIV kitties can stay and room for a bank of kitty condos for those who prefer their privacy. Kim is standing in the playroom.

To the right shows the hallway that will go through the entire Adoption Center from one end to the other. You can also see the walls of one of our Meet & Greet Rooms. Amazing!

June 20 - We Have Walls!
               

Above is a photo of the back of the building where our new Adoption Center will be. It is coming along beautifully and it actually looks like something finally! Here you can see that the entire back wall and sides of the Adoption Center will be all windows. You can see the scope of the project- the Adoption Center will be large enough to hold 38 adoptable dogs, over 150 adoptable kitties plus a separate room for exotics like hamsters and Guinea Pigs.

To the left is a view from inside the new Center. Here you can see the outline of our new Meet and Greet Rooms, where prospective adopters can have private quiet time alone with a dog or cat they are considering bringing into their home. We will have 2 Meet and Greet Rooms, in addition the Dog Screen Porch and Cat Screen Porch can be used for meet and greet in bad weather. No more standing in the rain in the parking lot to meet your new best friend!



To the right is a shot taken while standing in the Cat Adoption Wing looking down to the Dog Adoption Wing. In the center you can see large steel beams. Those are going to support our new state-of-the art air handling system that is going to eliminate all odor and prevent the spread of kennel cough or kitty respiratory problems among others. We can't wait!

In the photo is our wonderful general contractor, JC from BurMarc Construction (in the white shirt) and equally wonderful architect Bob DeSantis from Kaplan, Gaunt and DeSantis in Red Bank. Both gentlemen and their companies are doing an amazing job for the MCSPCA.

Please support our renovation - donate online over our secure server and choose "Building Fund." Thank you!

June 6 - New Adoption Center Takes Shape
Despite so much rain, our contractors have made amazing progress getting the shell of our new Adoption Center up. Shown to the right is looking down end to end - the photographer is standing in the new Cat Adoption Wing, looking all the way down to the new Dog Adoption Wing. Drains are in place - one thing we specifically designed for was lots of drains to make clean-up easy. There is one drain per cat gazebo, and 4 for each dog gazebo (since each dog gazebo is divided into 4). You can see the back of the old building, waiting for its own renovation soon to come!

Here our Executive Director Ursula Goetz is standing in the new Dog Adoption Wing. To her right is the new Dog Screened Porch. Note the large openings, those are for windows. The entire Adoption Center is nearly made of glass, letting the outdoors in and flooding the Center with natural light. Studies show natural light is beneficial to animals and humans and we will have plenty of it!

We know when you drive by, it looks like we are not open. Due to weather and other things, the completion of our driveway took longer than anticipated. Throughout the duration of the renovation the shelter and clinic will be open for normal operations unless noted here and on our home page.

May 12 - Our New Thrift Shop Arrives!
To save time and money, our architect worked with RBA Homes to build our new Thrift Shop and caretaker's residence in two phases - the bottom floor was "Traditional" construction, while the caretaker's residence upstairs was made up of modular units.

The first floor was framed in early May, and on May 12 the two modular units for the second floor were delivered on giant trucks. It was quite thrilling to watch them block off Wall Street to let the trucks, bearing our modulars, pass!

A giant crane lifted the sections one at a time on top of the framed out first floor. A mere two hours later, we were walking around in the upstairs apartment! Amazing!

The downstairs still needs all the interior work done (plumbing, electric, drywall etc) and everything has to be connected to the new modulars upstairs. Using this "hybrid" design allows us to save significant time, important since our Thrift Shop is a significant source of revenue for the shelter. We are currently on schedule to open the new Thrift Shop in August.

Thank you Bob DeSantis of KGD Architects and Pandora Jacoubs of RBA Homes for coming up with this innovative plan so save the SPCA time and money!

May, 2008
Wow things are happening fast. The entire back of the building has been ripped off- all the old, decrepit dog kennels from 1961- gone! Shown to the right is the back of the building as it looks now. The boarded-up doors lead to our small adoption rooms (the long skinny rooms filled with stainless steel cages). The blue tarp is where our dog iso runs used to be.

The outdoor kennel area that used to turn to a sheet of ice - GONE. To the right is what is left of the chain link runs- now just a heap of tangled steel. Some dogs would rub their noses raw against the old chain link, trying to gets pets from visitors. No more! There will be no chain link in the new building! Yeah!


Much has been happening in our old garage. To the left is what it looks like now. You can just barely see the old garage door opening in the center. The new walls being built are going to make up our new Maternity Room and new Dog Get Well Room. Our new Veterinary Treatment Center and 2 Kitty Get Well Rooms will also be in what used to be our garage (space limitations have forced us to steal this space and live without a garage in the new facility).

We are on schedule for the new Thrift Shop. If you have driven by this past weekend (May 4) you probably noticed that the Thrift Shop is framed and walls are up for the first floor. The second floor, to be our caretaker's residence, is made up of two modulars that will be delivered soon with an anticipated installation of May 13.

April, 2008 IT BEGINS!!!
It's been a long, long road, but finally the renovation has begun. Thank you so much to everyone for your patience. Due to new limitations on new sewer hookups to Two River Sewer, our sewer application had to go to the state sewer authority and the DEP for approval. Of course, this took a while!

JC and George from BurMarc Construction are working very hard to make up for lost time. The back of the building, where the old dog kennels were, are gone, demolished to make room for the new Adoption Center. Much site clearing has already taken place to make room for a state-required retention area and also for our new Thrift Shop.

Construction will happen in 2 phases. Phase 1 encompasses the old garage, dog kennels, vet tech room and thrift shop. When complete, this area will hold our new Stray area, Veterinary Care Center (including a new Maternity Room and Isolation Rooms for sick animals), a new Pet Pantry and best of all, our beautiful new Adoption Center.


Phase 2 is basically the front portions of the building- the front desk and administrative offices. When complete, there will be a new, beautiful Visitor Center, large Community Room, new Grooming Room (Bath and Beyond Salon), new laundry room with new, industrial quality machines (we do a lot of wash!), new public restrooms and new admin office space.

Read all about our very exciting groundbreaking ceremony on our News Page.

Read all about the story behind the renovation, the whys of the design, concepts and mission.

How You Can Help

In order to complete this project, we need plenty of help. We still need $3,300,000:

Please send a check to MCSPCA with "for renovation fund" in the memo section to 260 Wall Street, Eatontown, NJ 07724. Or, donate online over our secure server and choose "Building Renovation fund.". Thank you!


Any questions about the renovation? Email Laurie!