INDReporter

Mayor-president announces town hall meeting on ‘no-kill’ animal shelter

Joel Robideaux will hold a Feb. 24 Town Hall meeting for everyone interested in reducing animal euthanasia numbers and increasing rescue and adoption rates at the Lafayette Parish Animal Control Center.

Photo by Robin May

Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux will hold a Town Hall meeting Wednesday, Feb. 24, for everyone interested in reducing animal euthanasia numbers and increasing rescue and adoption rates at the Lafayette Parish Animal Control Center. The public event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Picard Center for Child Development, located at 200 E. Devalcourt St. in Lafayette.

The announcement of the Town Hall meeting comes on the heels of Robideaux committing to achieving “no-kill” status for the Lafayette Parish Animal Control Center. Attendees will hear from experts with Target Zero, a national organization focused on assisting community animal shelters across the nation in obtaining a no-kill status.

“This Town Hall is an opportunity to collaborate with a successful organization that has aided communities across the country, like Lafayette, achieve a no-kill goal,” said Robideaux in a release announcing the Town Hall. “Representatives from Target Zero will help Lafayette Consolidated Government staff, volunteers and local animal advocate groups understand the next steps in working together for this common goal. The response in support of the no-kill goal has been tremendous. I have no doubt we will be successful in our efforts with the entire community behind us.”

Robideaux added that he hopes Lafayette Parish will have achieved the no-kill status by the year 2020. The plan is to increase adoptions by ensuring adoptable animals are placed, whether in homes, local or regional non-profits or animal transport services for adoption in other states.

According to Robideaux, achieving no-kill status is not only a more humane approach, but is also more cost effective because it eliminates the costs associated with euthanizing animals.

Longer-term plans in accomplishing the no-kill goal include building a new 20,000 square foot animal shelter for Lafayette that will increase capacity. The existing 6,000-square-foot facility on Pont Des Mouton Road was built 25 years ago and is not large enough to house all of the animals that are currently taken in. The estimated $6 million cost of the new facility will be funded by the existing Public Health Millage.

For more information or to RSVP for the Target Zero Town Hall meeting, please visit www.lafayettela.gov. And for more information on Target Zero, visit www.target-zero.org.