The coronavirus has caused another closure in St. Paul: the Animal Humane Society.
Chief executive officer Janelle Dixon, announced the closure of the organization’s St. Paul location on Monday, citing difficulties caused by the pandemic and the building’s old age as the reasons behind the decision.
The St. Paul shelter by Como Regional Park closed in response to the pandemic in March and the protocols necessary to safely reopen and function under amid COVID-19 “are not feasible given the building’s remaining useful life,” the organization said in a statement.
The 70-year-old building has narrow hallways that won’t allow for proper social distancing, for example, and its HVAC system would need a sizable investment to allow for proper ventilation.
The building’s age and condition rendered it “functionally obsolete” even before the pandemic and the organization had been planning for several years to replace it, the statement continued, adding that the pandemic forced “extensive analysis” that led to the shift.
“AHS is confident that, as a temporary measure, it can more safely and effectively meet the needs of animals and people in our community by shifting programs and resources to our other Twin Cities locations,” the statement read.
The organization has additional shelters in Woodbury and Golden Valley.
It’s not abandoning St. Paul, though. In addition to a new veterinary clinic on University Avenue set to open in September, the Humane Society is in the early stages of raising money to build a new headquarters at Kasota Avenue and Minnesota 280. The campus will include a shelter and animal care center.
“We know our home in St. Paul holds a special place in the hearts of our community — and we remain committed to the city where we were founded more than 140 years ago,” Dixon said in the statement.
Four people who work at the St. Paul shelter were laid off with severance Monday. Nineteen other employees will remain furloughed while the organization attempts to find openings at its other sites.
The pandemic’s impact on travel is also forcing the indefinite suspension of services at the organization’s Now Boarding operation in South Minneapolis beginning July 15. The facility near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has offered 24/7 boarding, day care and grooming services since 2008.
Thirty-one staff members at the facility will lose their jobs due to the suspension.
The organization is exploring with the facility’s landlord, the Metropolitan Airports Commission, to try to find a way to resume operations after the pandemic, but for now “the long-term future of Now Boarding remains uncertain,” the statement said.