The Great Falls City Commission voted to approve a contract to build a cattery at the Great Falls Animal Shelter.
Commissioners voted 4-0 to award the contract to Detailed Construction.
The animal shelter currently does not have an area to house cats.
The new cattery will have cat condominiums, a dedicated treatment room, and triage area.
The vote follows a month of expressed frustration from community members after commissioners tabled the decision until September during an April meeting.
That decision was rescinded last week, which led to Tuesday’s vote.
(April 30, 2019) The Great Falls City Commission will hold a special meeting Tuesday night to discuss the Great Falls Animal Shelter Cattery addition.
The Great Falls Animal Shelter does not currently have a place to house cats and has fundraised for years to build a cattery.
During an April 2nd meeting, commissioners voted to table a decision to expand the cattery until September.
According to minutes from the meeting, Commissioner Owen Robinson said he thought the animal shelter and Maclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center should combine operations.
Robinson explained he and fellow commissioner Mary Moe are the commission representatives for the Animals First group, which meets to discuss combining the two organizations.
Commissioner Bill Bronson stated he didn’t think the Great Falls Animal Shelter or the Maclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center could ever fully combine operations. He also expressed worry about donors backing out if they table a decision on the matter.
During the last commission meeting on April 16, many community members raised concerns, especially about Robinson’s involvement with the Maclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center.
Community members said Robinson and his family have donated money to the center in the past.
Some people also asked for Robinson and Moe to recuse themselves from the decision due to his ties to the Maclean Center and their involvement with the Animals First group.
One resident said she is thrilled the city has started talking about combining the two organizations.
The meeting is Tuesday night at 5:30 in the City Commission Chambers at the Civic Center.
