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Brandywine Valley SPCA buys former Safe Haven facility

The Brandywine Valley SPCA took a major step toward opening a new facility in Sussex County over the weekend.

 

The BVSPCA successfully bid on a property in Georgetown that it plans to turn into a new rescue and rehabilitation center.

The property is the former Safe Haven shelter, an 11,500-square-foot facility set on 13-acres off Shingle Point Road.

Brandywine Valley SPCA marketing director Linda Torelli says the planned facility will focus on harder to place animals.

"The new Center is going to serve animals that are on the fringe of adoption right now. They may  be in other shelters, they may be in our shelter. These would be animals that need a little more to get a chance for adoption. It might be an animal that needs some behavior work, it could be animals from a cruelty case that’s pending, or it could be kittens for instance, that are underage,” said Torelli.

The purchase price was $880,000.  Brandywine Valley SPCA estimates the property also needs $500,000 of work to get it ready for use. That includes $250,000 for repairs and renovations and $250,000 in equipment and furniture.  

 

Torelli says this is just the first step.

"The facility is actually in pretty good shape; we just need to do some renovations and some fitout with equipment. We have a 45-day closing period on the property. During that time we need to complete the fundraising to be able to open. So depending on how long that takes and then the money for the fitout and equipment, it shouldn’t be too long before we’re open after that. But it’s going to depend on the fundraising progress” Torelli said.

 

The group needs to raise a total of $700,000 to cover those costs and the $200,000 gap between money raised so far and the purchase price.  They need to raise the money to close the purchase over the next month and a half.

Kelli Steele has over 30 years of experience covering news in Delaware, Baltimore, Winchester, Virginia, Phoenix, Arizona and San Diego, California.