The Northumberland County Planning Commission spent the bulk of the meeting reviewing options, constraints and likely county costs for a proposed new animal shelter after the Friends of the Animal Shelter Society told supervisors they could cover building costs and had roughly $650,000 in donations.

Staff asked the commission to identify county-owned parcels suitable for the shelter, noting three practical questions: which county parcel is best, what site work would be required, and what budget/lease arrangement might be needed. Staff and commissioners reviewed aerial and topographic maps for candidate parcels, including the existing facility (about 1.5 acres), a Locksburg parcel (about 14.57 acres with roughly 8 acres of relatively flat land after excluding the transfer station) and a larger Horse Head parcel. Key constraints flagged included intermittent streams and gullies, steep contour changes, an on-site Verizon cell tower with buried infrastructure that may complicate excavation, unknown septic locations, electrical upgrades and bridge/road costs for access across gullies.

An uncompromising account from a commissioner who toured the current shelter described frozen kitchen pipes, lack of running water in parts of the facility and heavy reliance on volunteers for maintenance; staff said building inspectors will visit the existing shelter next week to document inadequacies. Several commissioners recommended asking the Friends group to produce a floor plan and identify the minimum usable footprint so the commission can evaluate realistic site options. One staff member said the Friends indicated they would build the structure and “turn the building over to the county” and that the county might consider a nominal lease (for example, $1 per year).

Commissioners asked staff to return with more detailed materials at the next meeting: soils maps, wetland inventory, topographic constraints and preliminary cost items for septic, electrical, access roads and potential asbestos abatement if the old school board office is considered. Staff and a commissioner agreed to invite the Friends of the Animal Shelter Society to the next meeting so they can present building plans and discuss fundraising timelines. Members discussed whether to include the project in the next capital improvements budget and leaned toward giving the Friends more time to prepare plans before committing county funds.

Next steps: staff to prepare soils, wetland and road/access analyses for the candidate sites and invite the Friends group to the next meeting; the planning commission will use that information to make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.