On borrowed time

HAYDEN — When Kootenai Humane Society broke ground last month on its new home, it was cause for celebration.

“It’s super-exciting,” said KHS Board member Denise Morris. “We’ve been waiting for a long time to do this.”

It was also cause for concern.

Because KHS doesn’t have the $8 million it’s going to cost.

If it doesn’t get it, it will borrow what it doesn't have.

“A $2.5 million bank loan looming in our future. Scary,” said Vicky Nelson, KHS development director.

The nonprofit shelter has raised $5.5 million for the project, originally estimated to cost $6.5 million. The campaign started strong in the spring of 2019 to purchase land and build a 24,000-square-foot shelter on 10 acres on the west side of Atlas Road north of Hayden Avenue in Hayden.

It wasn’t long into 2020 when it had $4.7 million of committed contributions.

Then, the coronavirus arrived in March of that year. As it spread, donations shrank. Momentum for the new shelter that had been flying high fell to a fizzle.

But the urgency for a new home remains.

Besides being in an old building at the end of Ramsey Road that's too small and requires frequent repairs, KHS is under pressure to move.

The Coeur d’Alene Airport, which leases the land to the shelter, is eyeing expansion. The city of Hayden is looking at extending Ramsey Road to Lancaster. Both involve the shelter’s site.

“Eventually, we’ll be pushed out of where we are,” Nelson said." We have to move. It’s inevitable. The more we wait, the more expensive it would have gotten.”

Sally Ellingsen, KHS treasurer, has crunched the numbers. She agreed.

“Our time out there is limited,” she said. “It’s clear at some point we need to leave.”

Add to the equation rising construction costs, and KHS had to make a decision: Break ground and go for it with the money in hand, or wait until it had the full amount, which could be years and force the price tag even higher.

The board went for it.

On Nov. 16, about 25 happy people watched as the front-end loaders began pushing dirt on 10 acres at 12575 N. Atlas Road on a chilly, gray afternoon.

The plan is to build a no-kill shelter, a little over 20,000 square feet, and have it completed by year’s end.

Young Construction Group of Idaho, Inc. is the project’s general contractor.

This week, a visit to the site found a handful of workers, the foundation being finished, with electric and sewer work done as well.

Progress was delayed due to the combination of snow, rain and freezing temperatures.

Nelson said KHS will likely go through the $5.5 million by this summer, so it has secured a bank loan for the $2.5 million to be sure the shelter stays on course.

A loan isn’t ideal, as there’s interest involved.

“So we’ll have to raise even more money,” she said.

Nelson said the community has long been a great supporter of KHS and she's confident the money will come.

KHS is “100%” community funded to carry out its mission of caring for homeless dogs, cats and other critters, now and in the future. Some arrive in need of medical attention.

The new shelter will allow for even better care.

“This is a community facility that they’re paying for. We just need a few more to step up and help us get to that $8 million goal,” Nelson said.

KHS is working on fundraisers. Meantime, it's reaching out to possible donors and asking others to do the same on their behalf.

“Are you an animal lover? We need your help. Our community needs this animal shelter,” Nelson said.

Debbie Jeffrey, KHS executive director, said donations are coming in and she's appreciative. But she also would love it if a few sizeable gifts arrived to remove the need to borrow money.

“That would be wonderful,” she said.

Jeffrey said she would have preferred to keep a dog wing and isolation area of the new shelter, rather than eliminate them to save money.

She considers a new isolation area key.

“When we get an outbreak of contagious disease, that’s imperative,” she said.

Ellingsen, the treasurer, said COVID-19 “put a sense of uncertainty” on those considering large contributions.

Now that COVID-19 is winding down across the nation and in Idaho, she’s hoping donors will step up.

“Seems like the outlook is better, but there’s still some apprehension,” she said.

Ellingsen, though, is confident. The area’s red hot real estate market indicates there is plenty of money flowing around the area, and people here tend to be generous.

“I feel like it's imminent we are going to get funded and not have to dig into the line of credit," she said. "I’m hoping that is the case."

Ellingsen said that before she moved to this area 20 years ago, she was involved with the humane society in Madison, Wis. There, the humane society received government funding.

Not so here.

“We don’t get that support,” Ellingsen said.

There are those who believe otherwise.

“Even today, somebody asked me about the Kootenai County Humane Society. We’re not associated with the county," she said.

Ellingsen said she can’t wait to see how much more KHS and staff will be able to do in their new home.

It will mean extraordinary opportunities to do more for pets and bring services to a new level.

Vicky Nelson knows what it will mean when the doors of the new shelter open.

“A dream come true,” she said.