The Goal of #NothingFancyJustFunctional is to have the new Shelter built to meet the current and future needs of the TCAS.
A large enough space so that the Tricities can continue is goal of being a no kill shelter and so that we have a safe, healthy environment for staff and animals.
The People involved in #NothingFancyJustFunctional have repeatedly shared with the Cities that the location and look of the shelter are not really that important to us. What matters to us is that the shelter is built somewhere where it can be BIG enough and FUNCTIONAL enough to accommodate all the homeless and lost pets we love and fight for.
We want to make life at TCAS easier and not more complicated.
A large enough space so that the Tricities can continue is goal of being a no kill shelter and so that we have a safe, healthy environment for staff and animals.
The People involved in #NothingFancyJustFunctional have repeatedly shared with the Cities that the location and look of the shelter are not really that important to us. What matters to us is that the shelter is built somewhere where it can be BIG enough and FUNCTIONAL enough to accommodate all the homeless and lost pets we love and fight for.
We want to make life at TCAS easier and not more complicated.
Letters and Speeches from the #NothingFancyJustFunctional Community
Letter Sent to the Mayor and Council Members for Kennewick, Richland and Pasco
Mayor and Council Members for Kennewick, Richland and Pasco,
Good morning. I decided to send this to you as one email in hopes of bridging the communication between our three Cities. The Animal Shelter build is a special case as you ultimately need to make this decision for our community as a whole.
As you prepare for the upcoming shelter workshops, I thought you would find the files that follow this email to be helpful (my apologies it is to large for one email). It is a draft of the 2017 Shelter plans as presented by Shelter Planners of America and Meier Architecture firm. I believe this plan needs to be brought back to the table as we have almost all new City Council Members representing our three Cities. In the past, this plan was thrown out quickly before being brought in front of the Council Members. This is a workable plan that is sufficient to house the amount of animals that are in need in our growing community. It is up to us to get this shelter design right the FIRST time with hopes that it will stand proudly for generations to come. You are the Council Members that can make this happen, I know it, I’ve meet with almost all of you and I believe you want to do right by our animals and our community. We have worked hard to make the TriCities Animal Shelter a NO KILL shelter. The original drawings I have attached for you will allow us to continue to be a no kill shelter, as well as have space for the POPP spay and neuter clinic we so desperately need.
Thank you for your time and for listening to myself and other members of the community these last few months as we grow closer to building the shelter. Our stray and homeless animals , the staff that supports them, the animal control officers, and our community deserve better.
Please consider “responding to all” to keep the dialogue going.
Julie Webb, Shelter Advocate
Printed in the Herald
Dear Mayors and Council members of the Tri-Cities:
Indulge me. Picture someone you respect immensely. Imagine them visiting your city. Imagine showing them all the landmarks, parks, rivers, schools. Imagine your pride. Did you take them to visit your animal shelter? Or did you decide against it imagining the wince as they entered the 50-year old building – being assaulted by the urine/feces soaked concrete stench that can no longer be washed away, noticing the wiring hanging off the director's office wall, seeing the strips of paint (lead?) peeling over the dog kennels, broken tiles, mouse droppings and the antiquated ventilation system circulating this filthy air back into the lungs of the animals and shelter staff? This shelter represents your city. This shelter represents you - and your legacy. This shelter represents the value a city and its people place on its most vulnerable population. It is past time to replace this disgrace, with a real shelter fit for innocent beings whose only sin is being unwanted – and those dear souls who care for them.
Judi Nelson, Shelter Advocate
Dear Mayors and Council members of the Tri-Cities:
Indulge me. Picture someone you respect immensely. Imagine them visiting your city. Imagine showing them all the landmarks, parks, rivers, schools. Imagine your pride. Did you take them to visit your animal shelter? Or did you decide against it imagining the wince as they entered the 50-year old building – being assaulted by the urine/feces soaked concrete stench that can no longer be washed away, noticing the wiring hanging off the director's office wall, seeing the strips of paint (lead?) peeling over the dog kennels, broken tiles, mouse droppings and the antiquated ventilation system circulating this filthy air back into the lungs of the animals and shelter staff? This shelter represents your city. This shelter represents you - and your legacy. This shelter represents the value a city and its people place on its most vulnerable population. It is past time to replace this disgrace, with a real shelter fit for innocent beings whose only sin is being unwanted – and those dear souls who care for them.
Judi Nelson, Shelter Advocate
Speech given at Richland City Council Meeting
"The other day, I overheard a mother speaking to her daughter. She stooped down and said, “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go. The Humane Society smells better. We can go play with the cats there.” The mother couldn’t see passed the crumbling building to enjoy the amazing animals inside. Can you guess where they were? They were at the Tri-Cities animal shelter. The same animal shelter that services your city. The same animal shelter that you are responsible for maintaining.
Per Richland’s citizen handbook, “Tri-City Animal Shelter provides services within the City of Richland”. As City manager, it is in your job description to be “responsible for the City’s day-to-day services and programs within the divisions they supervise”. You share these responsibilities with your assistant city manager and the department directors. So why haven’t you taken responsibility for the care of the animal shelter that services your city? We aren’t asking much. We are only asking that you do the job you are being paid to do. The cities, including Richland, have been promising a new animal shelter since 2009. All we want is for you, the cities, to keep your word and stop giving empty promises.
In your speech about the 2020 budget, you stated that “Adopting our annual budget is the most important responsibility we fulfill each year.” So why has the city failed to prioritize functionality over enhancements and remodels? Why have you failed to budget for all of Richland’s services? You also stated “We are also committed to being flexible and adaptable by responding to the community’s changing needs”. You need to be flexible about the budget and adapt the community’s need for a functional shelter. Two million dollars is not much of the Richland’s budget. Park enhancements can wait. Construction of Fire Station 75 can wait. Remodeling Fire Station 73 can wait. It’s time for Richland to put functionality as a priority."
Alexis Ryan, Shelter Advocate
"The other day, I overheard a mother speaking to her daughter. She stooped down and said, “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go. The Humane Society smells better. We can go play with the cats there.” The mother couldn’t see passed the crumbling building to enjoy the amazing animals inside. Can you guess where they were? They were at the Tri-Cities animal shelter. The same animal shelter that services your city. The same animal shelter that you are responsible for maintaining.
Per Richland’s citizen handbook, “Tri-City Animal Shelter provides services within the City of Richland”. As City manager, it is in your job description to be “responsible for the City’s day-to-day services and programs within the divisions they supervise”. You share these responsibilities with your assistant city manager and the department directors. So why haven’t you taken responsibility for the care of the animal shelter that services your city? We aren’t asking much. We are only asking that you do the job you are being paid to do. The cities, including Richland, have been promising a new animal shelter since 2009. All we want is for you, the cities, to keep your word and stop giving empty promises.
In your speech about the 2020 budget, you stated that “Adopting our annual budget is the most important responsibility we fulfill each year.” So why has the city failed to prioritize functionality over enhancements and remodels? Why have you failed to budget for all of Richland’s services? You also stated “We are also committed to being flexible and adaptable by responding to the community’s changing needs”. You need to be flexible about the budget and adapt the community’s need for a functional shelter. Two million dollars is not much of the Richland’s budget. Park enhancements can wait. Construction of Fire Station 75 can wait. Remodeling Fire Station 73 can wait. It’s time for Richland to put functionality as a priority."
Alexis Ryan, Shelter Advocate