With the Work Groups starting to meet, our Volunteers have begun shaping the future of Shep’s Place. We want to keep everyone in the loop, so it’s important to share the decisions being made with all of the Volunteers.
Social Media met on Monday 4/23, with three people in attendance. Thanks to Virginia Dameron for taking notes. Here are the highlights:
- To strengthen the Facebook page, we will add Amy Caviness and Virginia Dameron as administrators, in addition to Russell Clothier.
- Any Volunteer is welcome to submit a post for the Facebook page. The posts will have to be okayed by one of the administrators, for quality control and consistency of message.
- To increase the number of Facebook followers, we will soon make a push for our Volunteers to “share” the page with their friends.
- Once the Sanctuary opens, we will begin messaging on Twitter and other platforms, including a a house webcam! But for now, Facebook is the best outlet.
- The Social Media group will have to coordinate with a number of other groups, including Fundraising, Management, Events and Outreach.
The Renovation Advisory group met on Wednesday 4/25, with 6 adults (plus 2 kids and a dog) in attendance. Hayley Woods was kind enough to take notes. The highlights:
- The main issue discussed was whether we could adequately renovate the garage into the kennel room for the dogs. We discussed the state requirements for drainage, ventilation, sanitation, etc., that have to be met for certification.
- We also discussed the state requirements on how much space we would need to house the dogs. Russell Clothier presented a draft floor plan that could house 10 dogs, if they were doubled up and not too large.
- We discussed the possibility of adding on an additional space in front of the garage, and whether to do it now or later.
- Barb Allen, a construction manager for J.D. Dunn, walked us through the steps it would take to renovate the existing garage. She later suggested that, for the same amount of money, it would be easier to build an entirely new “Butler building” kennel next to the garage. We would get more space for the money, and build in proper drainage and ventilation from the start, rather than retrofitting the existing garage.
- Barb helped us come up with a realistic timetable for the renovations.
- May: research buildings, city construction requirements, and other shelters
- June/July: hire architect, have drawings made, price estimates, obtain permits and approvals
- August – October: construction of kennel, renovation of the rest of the building
- So, if all goes well, we could be ready for business mid-Fall
So how does October sound? We have our work cut out for us!