New Montville animal control facility 'long overdue,' staffer says
Montville — Since she started as the town's animal control officer 12 years ago, Christian Swanson has advocated for a new animal control facility.
In January, the Town Council approved $800,000 to build a new facility using federal American Rescue Plan funds the town received for loss of revenue during the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, Swanson showed The Day the current facility and explained what she would like to see in the new one.
"It's a huge relief," Swanson said of the council's decision. "This is the third time a discussion with the town has come up, having been tabled before, but not this time. It will certainly change the lives of the animals in our care and work conditions."
The animal control facility, better known in town as the "dog pound," is tucked away on 225 Maple Ave. in Uncasville, sharing property with public works. It consists of one room with nine kennels on either side. Swanson said two of the kennels are used for cats, with stacked crates inside. Present at the facility Thursday were seven cats and one dog, Bella, who has been at the facility for a year.
Swanson said the structure was built in the 1950s. It is equipped with one window air conditioning unit and no heat — Swanson has resorted to using space heaters and heat lamps in each kennel.
She said she hopes the future facility will have 16 dog kennels, a cat room, a bathroom for workers, space for an office, air conditioning and heating.
The current building has failed state inspections for the past several years and "At any time the state could come in and shut it down," she said, adding that is not likely because the state understands the repercussions of such a move.
Swanson and her part-time assistant also cover Salem's animal control services. Swanson said the facility typically cares for 150 to 200 animals a year. In the past, she has set up dog crates in the middle of the aisle when housing more animals than she had space for, and there have been multiple times when the facility was on the brink of euthanizing an animal.
She said other towns are in similar situations and many have switched over to a more regionalized option. She said there were discussions about merging with New London or regionalizing, but that would have meant slower response times.
"The people of Montville have gotten used to having services here," she said, adamant about keep a facility in town.
She hopes the new facility will be more accessible to the public. "Unless someone's dog ends up here or someone comes in to adopt," she said, "no one sees the facility."
Although the Town Council's decision has received some pushback, Swanson said she has mostly received support.
"It's long overdue," she said.
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