Milton Animal Control Officer Provides Shelter Update

For more than four years the Milton Animal League has been fundraising for a new shelter. Thanks to a well-known philanthropic organization in Milton, the financial setbacks are no longer an issue, but because of the location, some details still need to be addressed.

In December, the Copeland Family Foundation donated $1 million to the Milton Animal League for the construction of a new shelter next to the current facility on the Governor Stoughton Land Trust off Canton Avenue.

Animal Control Officer Nancy Bersani said the Milton Animal League hopes to build the new facility next to the outdated shelter the group currently uses with no lapse in service.

The new shelter will house the same number of cats and dogs as the current facility, but will provide better conditions and more amenities. 

Bersani said the new shelter would feature a multipurpose room that can be used for meetings, training, seminars and as additional shelter space in the event of a disaster. The new facility will also include a medical room. Bersani said the hope is to eventually provide low-cost spay and neuter on site.

The volunteer-run Milton Animal League has been fundraising over the past four years to build a new shelter, but because of the cost of operation and medical care, the task has been daunting. The Copeland Family Foundation grant changes everything.

“We absolutely couldn’t do this without them,” said Bersani.

The process of building a replacement shelter isn’t as easy as just breaking ground.

In June, the Governor Stoughton Trustees, which consists of the three members of the Board of Selectmen, chose from two proposals to develop the 34-acres of historic land.

The plan from Pulte Homes of New England, LLC to develop 23 homes on 30-acres of the property, not including the current shelter our several historical buildings, was approved. The $5 million purchase and sale was selected over a $1.75 million proposal from the Copeland Family Foundation to maintain the land as open space.

Because the land was entrusted to the town, all sales and development must be approved by the Attorney General’s Office and a probate court.

“Anything that goes up here [on the Governor Stoughton Land] needs to go through the process because the land was donated to the town for the benefit of the poor,” Bersani said.

Bersani said once the Pulte development proposal is accepted by all state entities, the new animal shelter will begin the process.

“Even with the money it’s a long process,” said Bersani, who expects the process to start this summer.

Though the Copeland Family Foundation grant will fund the construction of the new shelter, donations are still a vital part of the day-to-day operation. Donations are used to feed and care for the animals, but most monetary donations go to medical care. In 2011 alone, the Milton Animal League funded $12,000 for the medical needs of shelter pets.

“We have to do ongoing fundraising,” Bersani said. “We need donations. That’s how we run.”

Monetary donations can be made to the Milton Animal League via PayPal online at miltonanimalleague.org or mailed to the 181 Governor Stoughton Lane facility. Wish list items for the shelter can also be found, here.