Construction on the new, nearly 18,000-square-foot Town of Islip Animal Shelter is well underway. By this spring, the new Central Islip site will be home to adoptable dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits and birds.
Animal shelter supervisor Teri Gicalone said last month that the new space, centrally located on Carleton Avenue, will house 82 kennels. The building will offer improved heating, ventilation and air conditioning, a spacious lobby, four visiting rooms, veterinary care spaces and more.
“This is something that we have waited for a very, very long time,” town supervisor Angie Carpenter said Feb. 24 in interview. “The new state-of-the-art facility will offer so much that is missing now.”
Funding for the $9.1 million facility was made available through two $500,000 grants secured by Sen. Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore) and former Sen. Tom Croci, and $498,200 through New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Martin Bellew, commissioner of the Islip Department of Environmental Controls, said up until recently, the town experienced minor delays in obtaining construction supplies due to COVID-19.
“This facility is considerably bigger than the old one,” Bellew said. “It’s a new addition to the Town of Islip that I think residents will welcome.”
The current facility for staff and fourand two-legged friends was constructed over 50 years ago. The Bay Shore site, an 11,000-square-foot space, is located at 210 South Denver Avenue.
The building will also be ADA-compliant, making it wheelchair accessible, unlike the current Bay Shore structure.
The town first broke ground on the new animal shelter in October 2019.
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