GOLDEN — To jump-start a new countywide animal center, Jefferson County will kick in $3 million and provide 3 acres of land with a 50-year lease.
The Table Mountain Animal Center and its foundation will use the building and an estimated $425,000 annually in dog-licensing fees as collateral to secure financing and solicit donations of up to $6 million.
Agreement was tentatively reached Tuesday on construction of a 30,000-square-foot facility on the northwest corner of the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. It will replace the aging center near the intersection of Colorado 58 and Interstate 70.
“So let’s get it done,” said Nick Fisher, executive director of the Table Mountain Animal Center.
Jefferson County Commissioner Kathy Hartman noted the center is a shared proposition between the county, its cities and the TMAC Foundation with the aim of protecting the public from loose dogs, providing humane treatment of lost animals and placing unclaimed animals with new owners.
Carol Purcell-Coles, hired by the TMAC Foundation to assist with fundraising, said about $1 million already has been donated.
Raising more money in the next year “is very doable,” Purcell- Coles said. “There is a silent, affluent, involved community in Jefferson County. We have donors who are committed.”
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com
