I want to give you all an update on the progress of renovations at AARF Pet Central. We had hoped to be open by now, but issues in fundraising and construction have delayed completion of the renovations. It has been difficult to divert unrestricted funds toward our building renovations, as the pets in our adoption and Silver Paws Program always take priority over renovations. We are incredibly grateful for your support so far, and I am humbly asking for your continued support, as we are so close to being open. For just a small amount more, we can be open and helping hundreds of homeless pets find new homes.
First, some of the good news --
1) A generous donor paid for the materials for the new deck and walkway, making our entry to the building safe and fully ADA compliant. We will have no access issues with anyone coming to our building.
2) Major renovations to the dog training / adoption day room, cat adoption room, retail space and office are completed. The self-dog wash tubs are also installed and tiling is almost complete.
3) We have all of the flooring for the office and front retail space, thanks to a donation from Lumber Liquidators.
4) With the help of volunteers, 70% of the exterior painting is done, and 95% of the interior painting is done.
5) We have raised 85% of our fundraising goal - leaving only $9000 needed to completely finish renovations and open! That's just 90 more donor tiles, or only 18 more corporate donors! (Info on donor tiles is at
http://www.aarfatlanta.org/aarfcentral_tiles.html)
Here's what we have left to do. For each of these items, we are trying to find professionals that will donate or discount their services.
1) Finish painting the exterior that we can't reach.
2) Finish the ADA bathroom - flooring, new sink, painting.
3) Install windows in the cat room - we have a quote of $600 for all windows. We are trying to find a cheaper option, but this is the best deal we have so far.
4) Install flooring in the cat room and finish the climbing shelves and other components for the cats.
5) Stain and seal the concrete floor in the dog training / dog adoption room.
6) Purchase and install an electric dryer
7) Dog kennel room - We may have to open AARF Pet Central without the dog kennel space ready to accept dogs. We hate to delay this part of our services, but we don't currently have the budget to finish the space, which means we won't be able to save dogs at our new facility yet.
8) Landscape the exterior - Unfortunately, our contractor left a big mess! We need to do some renovations to the exterior landscaping to create a safe and inviting environment.
9) We need a plumber to help us find an open sewer vent from one bathroom. Unfortunately, it makes our building not smell so great.
We still have several naming opportunities available, if you or your company are interested in leaving a lasting legacy for homeless pets. This is a great way to help us reach our 100% goal and let all of our visitors know of your commitment to helping homeless pets.
Cat Adoption Room..........................
.......$10,000
Community Adoption Center....WAG-A-LOT
Dog Training Center.................Private Pledge Confirmed
Front Deck................................Private Pledge Confirmed
Kids N Kritters Clubhouse.........................$3,000
Storefront/Retail Center..............................$2,500
Director’s Office.........................................$1,000
Dog Adoption Room................Funnybones for Dogs
Self Baths (2)...........................Private Pledge Confirmed, Showseason Animal Products
Exterior Landscaping.................................$1000
For those of you that haven't yet seen the new facility, I invite you to stop by and see how things are progressing. We'll be working all day on Saturday, April 16, so stop by for a look. If you are interested in one of the remaining naming opportunities, of if you or your company would like to volunteer time, materials or money to helping us complete our renovations, please let me know,
I want to thank you all again for your support of our mission to help homeless pets in Atlanta, and to create a world where every pet matters.
