For nearly 40 years, Barb and Mary Busko and other volunteers at the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County have worked to protect and take care of sick and unwanted animals.
And for the last 25 years, they have been providing that care from a shelter on Brustetter Road in Lordstown, but the leaky ceilings and the cracked floors, are making it difficult for the agency to service the animals properly.
League officials say they need a new facility and are now starting a fundraising program to build a new $6 million shelter near the Trumbull County Career and Technical Center in Champion. The shelter would do more than just care for animals.
"It is also a community problem," said Debbie Agostinelli, of the Trumbull County Animal Welfare League. "We could teach people how to properly care for the animals and teach children if they find a stray who to go to."
Barb Busko also says she believes this facility would be the first of it's kind in the area.
Shelter officials say the existing facility is not only in need of repair it is also too small. They say they have to turn away animals because they do not have enough room.
The new shelter will also be green. It will include the installation of rainwater harvesting, geothermal heating and cooling and solar roof panels, all designed to lower operating costs over the long term.
Officials at the animal welfare league say they are hoping to raise half of the money by September. Anyone wishing to donate is asked to call the shelter at (330) 394-3512.
