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
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anytimeem
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give eitheral
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f StarTel sat
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•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)
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