Monday, August 29, 1983/The Battalion/Page 9C -CS animal shelter stays busy, iirector urges owners to tag pets Arby's* Satisfies The Aggie Appetite. by Mary Laura McNair Battalion Reporter Bryan, College Station and izos County have joined jether to try to solve a coni- inproblem — animal control. A possible solution to this ablem is the Brazos County imal Shelter which is a non- )fitcorporation supported by three governments. Bryan Mayor Ron Blatchley d that since the shelter ened in January it has helped :rease the number of stray |mals on the city’s streets. The decision to support the Iter was made before Blatch- took office and he said that it [something that is definitely ded in the area. Captain M. Newton of the liege Station Police Depart- nt agrees with Blatchley and s the shelter helps pet owners (locate their losts animals. “Before the shelter opened,” said, “when people lost their trials they had to check with ) places because when the officer would pick up an animal he would take it to one of two veternarians. Now, all they have to do is call or go out to the shelter.” Newton said when the animal control program in College Sta tion began in 1966 it had one officer and now it has two with dual duties. “While one officer is giving parking tickets at Northgate, the other officer is answering calls concerning stray animals or lost pets,” Newton said. “They switch duties each month.” The animal control program is busy and Newton said he attri butes this to the growth of Col lege Station. “In July we answered 1,067 calls about animals,” he said. “Last July, we answered 982 calls.” Executive director of the shel ter, Kathy Ricker, said the three governments are helping the most with the shelter because they pay for all the impounded animals that are not claimed. “Depending on where the animal was picked up,” Ricker said, “the city of Bryan, College Station or the county pays $5 a day for three days.” Bryan has more than 50 per cent of the use of the facility, she said, and each government is bil led monthly for the animals picked up in their area. “If Bryan has 500 dogs here for three days,” she said, “that “It’s very frustrating to love animals and to be here and not be able to find the owner ... ” 1,500 animal days multiplied by $5 is a lot of money. So they’re paying over $2,000 a month easily to help maintain our staff, feed the animals and pay the bills.” Ricker said the three govern ments pay for use of the facilities but 15 percent of the animals in the shelter are brought in from six other counties. When people bring in animals from outside Brazos County, they are asked for a donation. ‘♦We receive $5 and $10 at a time in donations,” Ricker said. “We operate on donations, im pounding fees and the money paid by owners claiming their pets. As a matter of fact, the last $40,000 of construction was done by donations.” The shelter was in the plan ning stage for 10 years, she said. “It has been 10 years of fund raising, getting the governments together, getting contracts signed and getting the building built,” Ricker said. “The Humane Society raised money actively for the last two years to the tune of about $2,000.” Ricker said that she gets a lot of help at the shelter from the volunteer program. “We either have feast or famine,” she said. “We either have a lot of help or no help.” The problem with a volunteer program is that volunteers are not obligated to stay and some times leave at inconvenient times, Ricker said. “Our volunteers range from high school students, to Texas A&M students, and from people who are on probation for diffe rent offenses,” she said, “They range in age from eight to 70.” The public can join the volun teer program by keeping their pets tagged, and by neutering them, she said. “People can come by the shel ter and buy animal tags for $5 which supports the shelter,” Ricker said. “Right now, less than 10 percent of the animals have tags. It’s very frustrating to love animals and to be here and not be able to find the owner, especially when the owner doesn’t care enough to come look for their pets.” As long as it continues to have the support of the three govern ments and as long as facilities do not have to be expanded, the shelter should have no more problems, Ricker said. Center offers facilities, activities to community so hook-up mthly. Opei ).m. to 10a.c| ; v nd all da — No 5 monthly. anytimeem . on weekdan ekends. ing upforSa give eitheral 1 number oil >osit. The P i year or vita iated. f StarTel sat ers separate a ents shariii| •onipany al ding system ^ark facilities upgraded by Pam Barnes Battalion Reporter "he College Station Parks and ling all thei jeation Department is build- ation numta anew athletic park in South- od Valley and is conducting a ighborhood Parks I m preve nt Project, a park planner ys StarTel ali telephones fu r no o ,-ice for anyl of time. Tta anytime to thout a pei - offered he user can phone, nes, advertii , says, “W el,t ,y which Sf! s. The othei e only toad MCI says® The first College Station park constructed in 1938 and the Iks and Recreation Depart- nt has continued improving, nning and constructing ks since then. The new multi-million dollar iletie park sits on 47 acres, bposed facilities for the park ilude four little league fields, b senior league fields, seven nis courts, two soccer fields, a ketball court and. possibly a ve pool, Carlos Mendez said. Also in the master plan of the rk, but not planned for con- ucdon for several years, are a mnasium and a tennis pro- )p, Mendez said. Construction of the parking s and baseball fields already un and is scheduled to be flpleted by baseball season xtyear, Mendez said. The park’s planned comple- udate is August 1984. The Neighborhood Parks Im- ovement Project currently is der way adding playgrounds, larging ponds, building decks and improving lots on 10 area parks. The project is designed to im prove established parks which lack adequate facilities. With a total of 24 parks in Col lege Station, there should be a park for everyone’s needs, but if not, the parks and recreation de partment is happy to hear sug gestions and/or complaints, Mendez said. “We keep an open door policy in parks and recreation. The city is growing, but our department is still small enough to do busi ness on a one-to-one basis,” he said. Mendez encourages all citizens to take part in the deci sions involving their parks and neighborhood. The community is invited to Parks Advisory Board and city council meetings where proposals for improve ments or construction are brought, he said. In College Station there are arboretums and nature trails to explore, jogging and exercise trails to attempt and beautiful parks to enjoy. The parks in College Station are designed to serve the needs of the community, Mendez said. The parks range from passive recreation areas complete with picnic and open nature areas to athletic parks for softball, soccer or basketball. Both Bee Creek and Thomas parks have swimming pools. The pools are open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. and on Mon day and Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. by Gabriel Elliott Battalion Reporter Last June, the College Station Community Center opened its doors to the public. Siqce then, the director of the center says, it has been more than just a meet ing place. “The community center has helped to promote tourism in Brazos county by attracting groups from other parts of the state,” Peggy L. Calliham said. Funds from the city hotel- motel tax, collected since 1973, have been used to help promote the College Station area as a tourist center. The tax also pro vides funds for the Arts Council of Brazos Valley to promote the arts and humanities. “The center held a open house for arts and crafts Decem ber 1982, which was attended by 800 to 900 people,” Calliham said. “The art works on exhibit were provided by the College Station arts council.” This summer the center, lo cated on Jersey Avenue, spon sored a fiber design competition to promote community involve ment. The winning design be came a wall hanging for the cen ter’s auditorium. The center has revised some of its policies for use of the audi torium. The new policies are: MARK G/P MARK G/P RADIAL RADIAL NEW USED RECAPS NON RADIAL RECAPS LR-78-15 77.54 22.50 41.88 36.75 HR-78-15 72.76 22.50 41.88 36.75 GR-78-15 70.25 17.50 41.88 36.75 FR-78-15 67.83 17.50 41.88 36.75 GR-78-14 69.05 17.50 41.88 36.75 FR-78-14 66.62 17.50 41.88 36.75 BR-78-13 59.00 12.50 2804 Pinfeather _. _ Brvan, TX KELLY-SPRINGFIELD TIRES ' W75-2306 NO CHARGE FOR • User groups which expect to attract more than 50 individuals are required to pay a $100 de posit. • All users must leave the faci lities in the same condition as when they arrived. • Before leaving the premises after the event, the users or their agents will remove any litter de posited by them in the parking lot. • For a group of 100 or more, a police officer must be present. • The building closes at 11 p.m. weekdays and 1 a.m. weekends. Although the rates and fees charged to use the facility are set according to the type of group utilizing it, Calliham said the center is open to any individual or group. “Non-commercial groups, such as organizers of local civic events and educators, make use of our facilities more than any others,” she said. Calliham said the center plans to build another facility behind the present one primarily to host youth activities. Southwest Parkway/College Station (Next to Pelican's Wharf) * I I ■ 1 * c o Q. 3 O o FIRST WEEK’S RENT On Any Product While Offer Lasts. ★ No Financing Necessary ★ No Long Term Obligation ★ Delivery and Service Included ★ Rent-To-Own Plan Name brands like: ★ RCA • Whirlpool • Gibson ★ Fisher • GE • Hotpoint ★ Sansui RENT BY PHONE. CALL NOW FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY *Two Weeks Minimum Rental. AMERICA’S LARGEST RENT-TO-OWN SYSTEM TV • Video • Audio • Appliances WE’RE RIGHT FOR THE TIMES 900 Harvey Rd. Post Oak Village C.S. 764-1100 209 N. Main Downtown Bryan 775-7757