Ouachita Parish Police Jury approves purchase of land for new animal shelter

MONROE, La. (KTVE / KARD) — The Ouachita Parish Police Jury is moving forward with plans that will help get stay dogs and cats off the streets. NBC 10’s Joel Massey has more on the site chosen and what is coming.

The OPPJ has authorized the purchase of three tracts of land along Ellington Drive totaling 18.44 acres where they plan to build a new animal shelter.

Staci Choats is an animal advocate with the rescue life, and she has some misgivings about the location chosen to build a new animal shelter in Ouachita Parish on Ellington Drive.

“It’s on a dead-end road so it sees like the animals would be put to the side and forgotten about and we want the volunteers to have a nice location a safe location to house those animals for adoption and for donors to come in and see them.”

She says there is a great need when it comes to animal control in the area.

“In the south there is such an overpopulation of pets, so we see animals on the streets and in shelters there is a few of us working together diligently every day to make sure those animals get a chance.”

Police Jury President Shane Smiley says they considered 20-plus sites for the new shelter, and he is confident that they can make it safe and accessible.

“This body would not make a vote on something we didn’t feel was safe. We certainly feel that that location is safe we are going to spend a good deal of money. There’s going to be security, lighting, ingress and egress to the facility so you can get in and out.”

As for Choats, she encourages everyone who has cats or dogs to get them spayed or neutered.

“That is the one and only way to get us out of this overpopulation situation we have. If your pets are spayed and neutered great. We commend that. But spay and neuter your neighbors (pets).”

In other actions, the Police Jury approved amendments for the site development of land for constructing and operating solar farms. The panels would provide green energy power to the electric grid.

They also voted to reject all bids for renovation of a 911 operations center saying that the cost was not worth the five additional positions they would get, and they approved renovations for the main branch of the Ouachita Parish Library.