After two years of discussions between LSU and the Companion Animal Alliance, the university’s board of supervisors is set to take up Friday an agreement between the two that would see the city-parish animal shelter relocated to the campus.
“While some minor details remain to be ironed out, we have now reached an agreement on the location of the shelter on campus, the operating standards that CAA will meet, staffing levels, financial requirements, and other matters to protect the interests [of] LSU, CAA, and the animals that will be sheltered at the facility,” reads a request to approve a lease for the new shelter in the board of supervisor’s agenda for its meeting Friday.
If approved, the shelter would be moved from its current location near the Parish Prison on Progress Road to Gourrier Avenue, between River Road and Nicholson Drive, on land owned by the board and maintained by the LSU AgCenter. CAA, the nonprofit agency that is contracted to operate the city-parish animal shelter, would pay LSU an annual rent of $12,000 under the agreement. The initial term of the ground lease would be for 30 years, with two renewal options for 10 and 50 years, subsequently.
CAA is looking to raise about $12 million for a new shelter on campus, with hopes of breaking ground by early next year. According to documents in the LSU board’s meeting agenda, CAA has raised $1,405,505 over the past five years in private funds.
“Final plans, specifications, and schematic design of the facility have not yet been prepared,” the documents note. “The [Facilities Design and Development Committee] has not yet reviewed the location or any specific site plans or building design. Such approval (including approval by the board of the schematic design) will be obtained before CAA is authorized to proceed with construction.”
For LSU, relocating the shelter to campus offers a number of potential benefits for students and faculty. But there are also risks associated with the plan.
“While CAA is a private entity and LSU will not be directly responsible for overseeing its operations, its mere presence on campus will likely cause the public to associate the shelter and its operations with LSU,” the agenda documents note. “A significant portion of the negotiations, therefore, has been aimed at ensuring the shelter will follow the leading best practices for its operation.”
The item is recommended for approval by the board, which will convene at 10 a.m. on Friday at LSU’s campus in Alexandria. See the complete agenda.
—Steve Sanoski
