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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Mayor Nickels and Councilmember Godden unveil improvements at Seattle Animal Shelter
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
5/2/2008 12:15:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Don Jordan, (206)386-4286
don.jordan@seattle.gov
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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Mayor Nickels and Councilmember Godden
unveil improvements at Seattle Animal Shelter
New adoption center honors former shelter employee
Seattle – Mayor Greg Nickels and City Councilmember Jean Godden today honored the late Neal Duncan, a Seattle Animal Shelter officer who died on the job in 2006, and unveiled improvements made to the shelter to benefit employees, customers and the animals. First lady Sharon Nickels and "first dog" Edgar, a shelter dog adopted by the Nickels family last year, participated in the ceremonies.
"Seattle is fortunate to have an exemplary animal welfare program. And it's not just luck. At our animal shelter, we have dedicated employees and a huge corps of volunteers who are committed to improving the quality of life for animals and people in our city. Thanks to this commitment, our shelter has some of the best adoptable pets around - I can attest to that. Our family dog, Edgar, came from the shelter and he's a great dog and wonderful part of our family," said Nickels.
"The Seattle Animal Shelter does a real service for our city. It is one of the most progressive municipal shelters in the country. We owe much to the great programs the shelter operates including active fundraising, an anti-cruelty campaign, volunteerism, excellent animal care, and much more," said Godden.
In honoring Duncan, Nickels and Duncan's widow, Pam, unveiled a commemorative plaque that will hang in the shelter's new adoption center. Duncan was an animal care officer at the shelter from 2004 to 2006. Previously he was a zookeeper for 15 years at the Woodland Park Zoo. He suffered a fatal cardiac arrest while on the job in June 2006.
"We nicknamed Neal 'Gentle Ben' because of his extraordinary sense of compassion, whether dealing with animals or people. It is only fitting that we should honor him and his legacy of compassion," said Shelter Director Don Jordan.
he shelter remodel began last July and was completed in November. The architect was Kumata & Associates and the construction contractor was Danneko Construction. The $419,000 project covered 11,500 square feet and included:
- Adding 480 square feet by enclosing a breezeway to create the adoption center with three new customer service work stations;
- Replacing the under floor radiant heating system to better control the temperature in the dog kennels;
- Replacing flooring throughout the facility;
- Upgrading the building's cooling system with heat pumps;
- Improving the parking lot; and
- Adding accessible path from parking lot to the building entrance.
The Seattle Animal Shelter is located at 2061 15th Ave. W., one mile south of the Ballard Bridge. It is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for licensing, and noon to 6 p.m. for adoptions.
Visit the mayor's Web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor's inside view on efforts to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm
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