Kent Animal Shelter Breaks Ground on New Facility

The Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton broke ground on a new $4.3 million kennel and isolation facility on May 24 as work begins to replace the nonprofit’s existing half-century-old facility.

Local officials gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony on River Road to kick off the project that will create a more inviting atmosphere for adopters and a safe place for animals at the no-kill shelter that provides discounted veterinary services.

“This has been a goal and a dream of mine since I’ve been here starting in 1985,” said Kent Animal Shelter Executive Director Pam Green. “I wanted to see this done.”

The existing shelter can only accommodate approximately 100 animals at a time, officials said. The modernized redesigned facility will allow more dog runs and puppy rooms with a better HVAC system.

Green noted that the shelter’s location in the Long Island Pine Barrens added to the regulatory scrutiny that slowed the process of replacing the facility, as did local zoning issues, but now that the group got the greenlight to move forward it has also secured multiple grants that helped pave the way for the work.

The construction is expected to take up to eight months. In the meantime, the facility is still providing veterinarian services and putting up cats for adoption as usual in Calverton, but its dog adoption services have been temporarily relocated to the Bideawee rescue in Westhampton.

Visit kentanimalshelter.com for more info.