The city of Emporia is still a few weeks away from determining who will run the city’s Animal Shelter.
As KVOE News has reported, three entities have submitted Requests for Proposal to operate the shelter, including Prairie Paws — which has locations in Ottawa and Manhattan. Chief Executive Officer Vanessa Cowie says a big reason why Prairie Paws wants to add Emporia to its operations is to offer economy of scale through its regional approach.
Currently, the Humane Society of the Flint Hills operates the shelter and receives $132,000 per year to do so. Numbers weren’t released during a KVOE Morning Show interview this week, but Cowie says Prairie Paws will seek more funding from the city if it wins the contract.
Should Prairie Paws win the city contract, Cowie says the tentative plan would be to rearrange some of the current space at the Emporia shelter, although some of the staffing and most of the administration would come from the Ottawa location. Cowie says hours would likely expand, with the goal of being open from 9am to 6 pm at least six days a week.
The Humane Society has submitted an RFP, as has Raise Your Paws, also based in Emporia. The contract is set to begin in August, regardless of the partner.
Raise Your Paws owner Melanie Smith will be on KVOE’s Newsmaker 3 segment at around 8:45 am Friday.
