By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LULING – Cats and dogs up for adoption in St. Charles Parish are on track to getting a new place to stay while they wait for a family to take them home.

The parish council recently voted to hire Campo Designs-Architects of Destrehan to design a 7,800-square-foot animal shelter on a donated plot of land near Sugarland Parkway in Luling. The building, which, according to parish officials, would allow animal control to expand its services, would replace the existing shelter facility located under the Hale Boggs Bridge in Luling.

“The building is close to 30 years old,” said Renee Simpson, spokeswoman for the parish. “It’s outdated and much too small to handle the expanded population the shelter is dealing with.”

Animal Control Director Angela Robert said the number of animals passing through the shelter annually increases about 20 percent per year, and a new larger facility would make it easier for the department to adopt more animals out more efficiently.

“We would be able to divide the animals into groups that are ready to adopt and groups that still need treatment,” Robert said. “We would have a specific portion of the new facility that could be used as a viewing area of sorts so that potential owners could see the top eight or 10 animals ready for new homes.”

Robert said the current facility is home to about 55 dogs, living in 22 runs, and nearly 90 cats. She said the new digs would expand the number of cages and add more examination rooms so that nearly all of the medical procedures needed could be done right on site.

Estimated cost of the project stands at about $1.5 million. Simpson said the parish budgeted $750,000 for the project in addition to a $250,000 appropriation from the state budget. She said the parish plans to make up the remainder through grants from pet supply retail giant PetCo and the Humane society.

“If those grants fall through, the parish try to foot the difference in construction costs through the general fund,” Simpson said.

Parish President V.J. St. Pierre Jr., who favors moving the proposal forward as soon as possible, said he would also be willing to divert money from the third-floor courthouse renovation to supplement the grants.

He said the parish is hoping to move forward on the project by the end of the year or the beginning of next year.

Robert said the shelter has an assortment of animals ready for adoption at a cost of $80. She said the fee includes a spay or neuter, up to date vaccines, a bag of food and a DVD of care tips. For more information, contact the shelter at 985-783-5010.