The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, including the Animal Shelter team, Board of Commissioners (BOC), and Animal Shelter Development Team have been working on securing a new location for an improved and updated animal shelter for several years. Now after much collaboration research and planning a location has been secured in the industrial park area of Waldport. Lincoln County Sheriff Landers stated “The new Animal Shelter building will expand and improve the services that are currently available to our communities and animals."
Landers pointed out that the team has been working on this project since the shelter moved to a temporary building, after the original building was condemned in 2019. The County’s long-term plan for the Commons required a new location for the future building of the Animal Shelter. The property the County is purchasing is on SW Dahl Ave. in Waldport. The development of a new Animal Shelter in a spacious and suitable area was prioritized to enhance service to dogs, cats and other small animals in the community.
Size, facility needs, and construction evaluations helped the County’s new Animal Shelter Development Team review possible site locations. A variety of sites were identified and reviewed. Land requirements for constructing the new animal shelter had to meet several criteria. Through this process, the Animal Shelter Development Team and stakeholders identified and examined 20 sites throughout the County. In the end the two-acre plot in Waldport was found to offer plenty of space to build a facility to meet current needs, with the option to expand if needed in the future.
Dann Cutter Waldport City Manager provided a statement saying "The city is grateful to have been selected as the location for the new Lincoln County Animal Shelter site." Animal Shelter Manager Sara Wynveen said "We will be looking at more ways to be able to provide outreach to all areas of the county." It was pointed out that the first location choice near the Airport in South Beach was not one that was popular with the community and the board of commissioners listened and worked with community partners to find a better location.
Sheriff Landers said once the shelter is built the space provides possible expansion possibilities that could include a community room and/or spay/neuter services. The next steps include creating and finalizing plans with architects and collecting construction bids. The timeline for construction to begin is fall of 2023 with the goal of the new facility opening in fall of 2024. More information and updates on this project can be found on the Lincoln County Website.
