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Unapproved temporary new Animal Control facility under construction as Koch Maladministration seeks $15 million for a permanent facility
– News about Quincy Massachusetts from Quincy Quarry News
Yet again Quincy Quarry News follows the money
Image via oxycom.com
Tonight the Quincy City Council will be reviewing the Koch Machine’s ask for $15 million spending authorization to build a new Animal Control building.
The reason for the ask, the current facility is slated to be razed so as to accommodate spending $152 million on a copper-roofed as was as otherwise further gold-plated palace of a new police headquarters even though construction of it is currently on a manner of hold given that soaring construction costs have surely blown past the current spending authorization, if not well past it.
Fortunately, no butt crack on the scaffolding over the front door of the impending temporary dog pound, center. Click on image for larger image
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive image
In the meanwhile, the Koch Machine is rolling along with building a transitional Animal Control facility adjacent to the Quincy Schools’ bus yard behind the Kennedy Center on East Squantum in North Quincy so as to be able to demolish the current animal control building adjacent to both the current police headquarters and the Department of Public Works corporation yare to make room for the still-pending new police headquarters.
Then again, the Koch Machine is already well-known for just taking property without due approvals for funding as well as per local ordinances and Massachusetts General Laws.
Also problematic for the temporary shelter site, there is the existential threat of climate change as well as just plain old storm surge as its site is already prone to flooding during high water events.
(Must reach land … )
Image via cifi.it
Granted, for the most part, dogs can swim; cats, however, not so much.
And then there is the $15 million ask for building a new permanent animal control facility and first-time-ever police K9 infrastructure adjacent to the dog park just off of Quarry Street.
The original koched-up ask was for $7.1 million; however, the council cut the approved authorization to $3.5 million as the council found the proposal over the top for the first time ever the council called a koched-up spending proposal.
Burn rate, up in flames – whatever …
Image via cheetsheet.com
How koched-up was the $7.1 million ask?
So far not even the known to be profligately free-spending US Department of Homeland Security has provided even merely but a dime for the multi-million police K9 component of the larger plan.
As such, the council advised the Koch Machine and the volunteer Quincy Animal Shelter volunteer group that works alongside of the City of Quincy’s Animal Control operation to rethink their plans so as to CUT costs by a bit over 50% from the $7.1 originally sought.
Slipping a needed card, buying votes with tax money – whatever …
An old Cassius Marcellus Coolidge image
However, rather than doing so, Koch Machine and Animal Shelter peeps not only did not do as manded, they are now coming back with a ask for $15 million more and so more than doubling down.
Not only would the total over over $18 million result in going away the most money ever spent on a local taxpayer-funded municipal animal care and control facility built by a small suburban city in the United States, the ask also reminds one of the financially disastrous regional animal control facility built in Pembroke by the Animal Rescue Legion of Boston two decades ago.
How disastrous?
Current City of Quincy Animal Shelter
Quincy Quarry News exclusive file photo
The Animal Rescue League had to close it down when it became such a dire financial black hole that it threatened the existence of its other Animal Rescue League facilities.
Granted, construction costs have soared given the still lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, spending fifteen large to house roughly on average around a half dozen homeless dogs and a couple to three or so dozen stray cats as kittens are typically placed in foster homes during kitten season as such is way better for their health and well-being.
After all, Father Bill’s is spending $24 million to build a new human homeless facility for 75 humans at a lower per crib provided cost as well as all manner of space for collateral services.
Further, fully half of the twenty-four large was covered by grant funding given that it too has to move from its current home so as to accommodate the still pretty much on hold construction of a new Quincy police headquarters.
Hospital? What hospital – that’s FoxRock’s impending apartment complex community center!
Image via Steward Healthcare
Regardless, Father Bill’s has already both broken ground relatively on schedule as well as kept its construction costs under control whereas the new police headquarters is already as well as variously koched-up to a point of stupendously expensive near torpor.
Additionally, in closing, it is only fair to add that the proposed new animal control facility was planned to include an unprecedented municipal veterinary hospital whereas since 2014 Quincy has been the largest city in the Commonwealth that does not have a hospital.
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Whoever thinks the city’s highly trained and costly police K-9s should be near a dog park is nuts.
Fact; dog parks spread disease! Look it up!
Further, most people who take their dogs to a dog park have zero control of their pets when off-leash. It will be only a matter of time before some cop has to shoot someone’s out-of-control dog.
The whole plan is a receipt for disaster, not to mention insanely expensive.
Dog parks are for people who should not own dogs.
It would be cheaper for taxpayers if the city housed the shelter’s dogs and cats at the Marriott! WTF!
I guess Koch’s daughter wants to be a vet tech :(
There are fifteen million new reasons why Thomas Koch needs to be voted out of office.
There are enough rubber-stampers on the finance committee that this will be approved with no problem. There will likely be a couple of prudent voices but as usual, they’ll be in the minority.
Put them in the Munroe Building.
Marie,
No offense to you, but that would be animal cruelty.