SAN CLEMENTE : Slope Repair Forces Animal Shelter Out

To make way for repairs on a storm-damaged slope behind the water treatment plant off Avenida Pico, officials will move the neighboring animal shelter to a temporary site.

Moving the animal shelter to another site, which has yet to be selected, will make it more cost-effective to make the critical repairs on the slope before the next rainy season, interim Fire Chief Gene F. Begnell said.

The City Council voted 4-0 Wednesday, with Mayor Truman Benedict absent, to approve the temporary move. The council also asked officials to take advantage of what could be a “golden opportunity” during the 90- to 120-day construction period and seek a larger site that could serve as a permanent home for the animal shelter.

The shelter could always move back to the Pico site, although in the past the facility has been overcrowded, officials said.

Torrential rainstorms last winter caused major damage to the slope behind the animal shelter and water treatment plant, Begnell said in a report to the council.

With the damage, outdoor animal shelter kennels have dropped more than two feet, affecting the shelter’s drainage system. The kennels will have to be demolished as part of the repair work, officials said.

The slope repair and animal shelter relocation will cost between $180,000 to $400,000, although about 94% of that could be reimbursed through state and federal emergency funds, officials said.

For now, the council authorized officials to spend only $15,000 to set up temporary quarters for the shelter animals.

More information on the repairs and options for a new animal shelter site will be presented to the council in early September.