WAUPACA (WLUK) — A groundbreaking ceremony Monday marked the beginning of an expansion for the Waupaca County Humane Society.
Dozens of people gathered to celebrate the shelter’s construction project, which will include a new 1,700-square-foot “Wellness Pet Center” with exam rooms, X-ray rooms, surgery/recovery rooms, a pharmacy and kennel space.
“We will be able to reclaim part of the original shelter building so we will have more space to help more animals next year,” said Executive Director Monica Gardner.
The facility, which is expected to be completed next spring, will serve not only Waupaca County, but surrounding counties as well. Gardner said the expansion has been in the works for a long time.
Steven Peterson, vice president and secretary of the Waupaca Humane Society, said accessibility and affordability are top priorities for the project.
“That’s probably going to be the main focus of this new building, to be able to provide veterinary services to people who can’t afford it,” Peterson explained. “We think that’s really going to help the community, especially those who need help the most – those who need help the most. People who can’t get to the vet or can’t afford to get to the vet. So we want to be able to improve people’s health.” All the dogs, cats and various other pets in the area. ”
Despite the excitement surrounding Monday’s groundbreaking, Gardner stressed that donations are still needed to help fund the construction of the new facility.
“We still need to raise funds, otherwise we will be dealing with this problem through mortgages, and we don’t want to be able to deal with this problem without a mortgage, so we will be running some campaigns to get more funding in the future,” she said.
