A lone bench shaped like a dog bone sits on an empty Bay Farm Island lot. Tucked between houses and a small office building, the lot is the future site of the Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS) Animal Medical Services & Training Campus.
On Wednesday, September 18, FAAS staff and board members were joined by friends, supporters, and members of the Alameda Chamber & Economic Alliance to celebrate construction of the new campus. Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft and Councilmembers Tracy Jensen and Trish Herrera Spencer also attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
“I love FAAS, they are one of our best non-profit organizations that serves the community,” Herrera Spencer enthused. “And they are at the point where they actually need this [new campus] now.”
There is currently a shortage of spay/neuter centers in the Bay Area, with a long wait time for appointments. This means that shelter animals are housed there longer as they wait for an appointment. In addition to enduring a long wait time, animals must be transported to Pleasanton, which places stress on the animals and takes up staff and volunteer time.
The new FAAS campus aims to perform an astounding 9,000 spay/neuter surgeries a year. Kathy Mills, the new medical director, explains, “I’m excited about the new facility because it’s just truly a visionary project to meet the needs not only in Alameda but the wider Bay Area and the state of California.”
The new campus will also treat animals with medical issues. Many animals, for example, enter the shelter in pain and distress from dental issues. They have trouble eating and don’t want to be handled. Relieving animals’ pain as soon as possible is not only humane, but means that they can be adopted and leave the shelter sooner.
Speed and efficiency are themes that inform not just the mission of the new campus, but also the construction of the buildings. Originally planned as a two-story building that would have cost $9.5 million, the campus was redesigned to consist of repurposed shipping containers at a much lower cost of $2.6 million.
In addition to being cheaper and environmentally sustainable, the campus will be functioning sooner than anticipated with a target opening date projected at the end of this year.
The medical campus was conceived in 2018 when FAAS received the donation of the quarter-acre lot. Alameda Chamber Treasurer Jennifer Cianciulli observed, “This is such a needed resource on the island. FAAS has had this in their sights for so long. I’m excited to be here and see a bigger step towards completion.”
The shipping containers will be permanent structures. According to FAAS CEO John Lipp, “They are being built to last. Since we don’t know the future, we wanted structures that can withstand the test of time.”
While noshing on pastries from Semifreddi’s and sipping champagne, attendees gathered on the currently empty lot for the ceremony. After an introduction by Alameda Chamber President Madlen Saddik and opening remarks by Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Lipp took the mic and thanked everyone for their support, calling the soon-to-be medical campus a “field of dreams.” He then accepted a proclamation from a representative of the Alameda County Assessor’s office, but not before telling the crowd that FAAS is now just $600k short of their $2.6 million goal.
Animal lovers can help reach that goal in a number of ways, including buying an inscribed brick in the youth garden or memory garden. “Or, if they want to make a larger gift, they can name one of our exam rooms or even sponsor one of our really cool dog bone shaped benches in the park for $10,000,” Lipp told the Post.
Darlene Alford, a longtime FAAS supporter, was the first person to make a donation to the new campus, and the dog bone bench currently on the site is engraved with her name. She affectionately told the Post, “I’ve gotten some of my favorite cats from the animal shelter here.”
At the ceremony, Lipp continued his speech by acknowledging and thanking FAAS staff members. Then with enthusiastic chants of “Hell yes!” the groundbreaking commenced with Mayor Ashcraft planting a silver shovel into the lot of the future FAAS Animal Medical Services & Training Campus.
