Delco/SPCA Standoff

Delco Extends Chester County SPCA Contract, For Now

Delaware County extended its agreement with the Animal Protection Board for an additional six months to take care of stray animals.

At Wednesday morning's Delaware County Council meeting, the council agreed to continue paying the Animal Protection Board $30,000 a month until Dec. 31, 2012, when they will then consider the possibility of a five-year contract, said Vice Chairman Mario J. Civera.  The Animal Protection Board, established last July to oversee a new animal control facility to be built in Darby Township, consists of first- and second-class township respresentatives, a police representative and a union representative.  State law makes the handling of stray animals the responsibility of both the state and municipalities.   The facility was projected to be completed by May or June at a cost of $1.2 million, but when the estimated cost jumped to over $2 million…

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Municipal Animal Shelter Scrapped Due to Costs

Costs for the proposed county-run animal shelter nearly doubled, according to philly.com, leaving the Animal Protection Board with few options.

  Plans to build a Municipal Animal Shelter, which was said to solve the county's animal control problem after the Delaware County SPCA stopped accepting strays in January, is no longer an option due to costs that nearly doubled, according to philly.com. The facility was estimated to cost $1.2 million which the county was able to fund by borrowing it from the Darby Creek Joint Authority. But Delaware County Council Vice Chairman Mario Civera told Patch previously when the project's architectural firm, Bonnett Associates, presented their plan for the building, they returned with a $2 million price tag. A price the county just can't stomach right now, Civera said in April. The Delaware County SPCA, a non-profit organization which has never …

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