Prince Frederick, MD – Negotiations have been successfully completed and now Calvert County has a formal agreement with a local developer that will lead to the construction, occupation and use of a state-of-the-art animal shelter. During their Tuesday, Aug. 8 meeting the Calvert County Commissioners unanimously approved a public private partnership agreement with Marrick Properties. The parcel of land where the new shelter will be located is on Route 231 in the Barstow/Prince Frederick area at the edge of the Calvert Industrial Park. County officials will now be required to advertise the proposed lease option and conduct a public hearing on the lease.
According to a memo from Department of General Services Director V. Wilson Freeland, the annual rent for the first 10 years will be $550,000 and $632,500 thereafter. “Rent is terminated if the county exercises the option to purchase and proceeds to settlement,” Freeland stated.
“This is something the county has needed for decades,” said Commissioner Mike Hart [R – District 1], who added putting county funds into the Tri-County Animal Shelter in Hughesville “was not a direction we wanted to go in. This [shelter] will be the absolute best in the Tri-County area.”
Department of Public Safety Director Jackie Vaughan announced at the meeting that her department has hired a shelter director and that individual will be coming on board early next month.
The new shelter, which was lobbied for by Calvert’s representatives to the Tri-County Animal Shelter Advisory Board, will not euthanize any healthy dogs or cats. Only those animals that are terminally ill or deemed a danger to the community will be euthanized. The shelter is to be named in honor and memory of former county commissioner Linda L. Kelley, who was a strong supporter of Calvert having its own animal shelter. Prior to Kelley’s death Feb. 2 the commissioners announced the facility would be named the Linda L. Kelley Animal Shelter.
Commissioners’ Vice President Evan K. Slaughenhoupt Jr. [R – District 3] stated that the county anticipates breaking ground on the new shelter sometime next month, with completion expected in 2018.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com