TUCSON, AZ – The Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSA) is breaking ground at the site of their new location, 635 W Roger Rd, Tucson Arizona at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, December 14th.
The new 37,884-square-foot Animal Welfare Campus will sit on 5.27 acres on Roger Road, west of Oracle Road. The vacant I-1 zoned acreage was purchased in 2010 by the Humane Society.
“This is going to be a truly exciting day for us”, says Diana Cannon, Chief Development Director. “Our current campus is over 72 years old, and we are in serious need of a new home. We don't receive any government funding or assistance from national organizations. We are completely locally funded by our community, and they have been extremely generous in helping us raise the funds for this new campus.”
HSSA staff and volunteers will be joined by dignitaries from the city and county, including Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Supervisor Sharon Bronson, Council Member Karin Uhlich, and some very cute canine ambassadors who will assist in the groundbreaking.
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona is the oldest nonprofit in Southern Arizona serving 200-300 pets at any given time and an additional 100 more in foster homes with people who love them, HSSA is a No-Kill shelter, whose mission is to act with compassion and responsible stewardship through innovative programs, community education, prevention initiatives and helping pets find their forever homes. HSSA has saved the lives of over 1,000,000 animals in Southern Arizona.
The new campus design includes innovative and green building practices, including jumbo dog runs, several large off-leash play yards, a designated dog walking path, indoor/screened outdoor cat habitats, solar covered parking, the use of existing native plant life in landscaping, and rainwater harvesting. Cannon says the although the organization is moving forward with the construction of the new facility, the Humane Society of Southern Arizona will need to raise about $3 million more to see the project through.
The architectural firm is The Architect Company of Tucson and the General Contractor, Larry Lang of Diversified Design & Construction of Tucson.
For more information, visit www.hssaz.org /building and more can be found at hssaz.org.