Montville - The towns of East Lyme, Ledyard, Montville and Waterford are exploring the idea of building a regional animal shelter on state-owned property at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Montville.

Waterford Police Chief Murray J. Pendleton said the idea is an extension of years of work by the Waterford/East Lyme Animal Control Facility Study Ad Hoc Committee to consider options and raise funds to replace or update their own outdated facility in Waterford.

Plans are not yet finalized, but Pendleton said the idea has gained the interest of town leaders, all with their own facilities that may be adequate but predate state building codes for animal control facilities.

He said the location provides a unique opportunity that not only benefits municipalities but also inmates at the prison. Corrigan operates several programs for minimum-risk inmates, including a greyhound rescue program called We Adopt Greyhounds, or WAG, in which inmates are taught to train dogs before adoption.

Operation of the shelter would be separate from the prison without any interaction between inmates and the public or people visiting the shelter.

Montville Mayor Ronald McDaniel said the idea is to lease the land from the state. While the state Department of Correction appears to be on board, there are several logistical issues that need to be worked out, such as the fact the towns would need to acquire a small portion of private land if they were to build there. There are also town zoning requirements regarding operation of such a shelter.

The idea is in the early stages, and McDaniel said there are matters of jurisdiction and financing that need to be worked out. McDaniel said the towns have had discussions with the state animal control officer "to make sure we're on the right track."

"The devil is in the details. Conceptually, we think it's a win-win," McDaniel said.

McDaniel said each of the four towns involved stands to save money in the future by having one facility to maintain with benefits of mutual aid from each of the towns. The public would also benefit by having a centralized location for things like animal adoptions.

Pendleton said a consolidation of animal control officers was not part of the discussion. No cost estimates were available.

Minutes from past meetings of the Waterford/East Lyme Animal Control Facility Ad Hoc Committee show town leaders have met with two architects, visited the proposed site and formed draft plans.

Architects are working under the premise that the facility would need to be about a 6,000-square-foot modular structure with the ability to expand, according to meeting minutes. The Town of Waterford has money set aside to cover architectural fees with the understanding it would be reimbursed by involved towns.

The committee reported that as of Nov. 30, 2014, a new building fund account had $171,375.

The City of New London was initially part of discussions about a regional facility but has since spent money on repairs to the Bates Woods pound following damage sustained during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Pendleton said there is likely to be more discussion at the next ad hoc committee meeting on Jan. 26 at Waterford Town Hall.

g.smith@theday.com

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