After months of study and years of pressure from animal advocates, DeKalb County decided Tuesday it will build a new shelter next to DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
The 5-acre site in Chamblee has been the preferred location for an advisory board guiding the county’s efforts to improve how it handles stray and unwanted pets.
But the PDK site was also the top choice for Tucker activists and volunteers at Johns Homestead, a 47-acre county-owned green space that appeared as recently as last week to be the county’s preferred spot.
“It’s been mostly untouched,” Harry Powell, president of the Tucker Historical Society, said of the land that includes heavy wooded areas and two lakes. “The property is a jewel in its entirety and we’d like to see it remain it its entirety.”
The 6-1 vote for the PDK site over Johns Homestead drew a standing ovation from the three dozen people who stayed for the action nearly four hours into Tuesday’s county commission meeting. Commissioner Elaine Boyer dissented, having lent previous support to the Johns Homestead location.
Advocates have shown up in force for months on the issue, after years of lobbying for better animal services.
A 2011 report from a citizen task force called the current shelter off Memorial Drive a “chamber of horrors,” with serious health hazards such as mold and bug infestations. More than 60 percent of animals fail to make it out of the shelter alive.
The advisory board that took over the issue from that task force recommended the PDK site in April. Commissioners delayed action, however, over concerns that the proposed location was not central in a county of 700,000 people.
County staff has since reviewed all 84 sites, coming up with three finalists that included Johns Homestead and the PDK site.
Under the PDK plan, the county would use $2.75 million in federal stimulus funds to begin design and planning work for the shelter. The project is expected to cost about $8 million in total, including about $1 million the county must eventually repay PDK for the land.
The airport has agreed to a long-term payment plan, however, and low rates designed to keep the final price tag down.
“We’re ecstatic,” said Sonali Saindane, the head of the advisory board. “We’re glad they looked at the data and listened to the community. Now we’re hoping to see a timeline with benchmarks for getting this done.”
County officials project they will be able to break ground on the new facility by late this year or early next.
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