This is a view from the back. A hallway will be built in the middle to connect these two buildings.
To follow us down the long and winding road from when we had to start
looking for a new shelter to when we finally got a building on a site,
see our Katie's Place Must Move page. To see the
latest update, go to the bottom of this page.
TO CONTACT US REGARDING OUR MOVE:
If you'd like to talk to us about our move, please call (604) 463-7917
or email
katies.place@shaw.ca.
Please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can. But
in case your message gets buried among other inquiries, please contact
us again if you don't hear from us within 48 hours. Our volunteers also
work full time so they're on the go non-stop. We appreciate your understanding
and a reminder if we accidentally overlook your message.
UPDATES:
July 25/07
Our buildings have arrived. At last! Now we feel like we're getting
somewhere! The vendor, Williams Scotsman, will finish the initial set-up
-- the skirting and hallway etc. Then the next step will be to get sewer
and water connected. Then new windows will be installed. Carpeting must
be ripped out of these former offices and linoleum put down. The offices
must be cleaned and modified into communal rooms for the animals. Porches
must be added to the outside of each room along with a door for access
from the each room. Security fencing will encircle the whole thing. There's
a lot to do. But hopefully there will be no more long delays. If the experts
are available to do the work for us that we can't do ourselves, then it
should move along fairly quickly. We still hope to have the animals moved
in by the end of summer.
July 29/07
The buildings are now connected with a hallway. The skirting, drop
ceiling and hallway were quickly completed! Now we've got to get the utilities
set up and then we renovate.
We'll need a back door now. And we'd like windows cut into each communal
room so we can see the animals and they can see into the hallway. We can
imagine what it will be like -- we are so excited!
August 4/07
We had our first planning meeting at the new shelter after our open
hours today. The volunteers got the chance to look around the place and
they had lots of
suggestions. We need to plan things like a place to wash litter pans,
carriers and other large items (our kitchen sink just won't do for the
big stuff or heavily soiled
litter pans). We have to figure out where we're going to store supplies
(so far, our eight-foot-wide hallway looks like a good location for cupboards).
We need to
know where we're going to do our office work (we can't give up a whole
room to office space, it's needed far more for animal housing). There's
much to be done.
But barring unforeable delays, we really think it could all be done
by the end of summer (end of September). The animals will be moved before
Halloween -- knock
wood!
This is from an email that went out to the volunteer group and shows where we are and what we hope to do:
"We have
water and sewer to the edge of the property -- another step complete! Now
we will have to bring the services to the actual building and get them
hooked
up. We also need to arrange
for the electricity to be connected. All this is in the works and we could/should
have these services hooked up over the coming weeks.
While
a lot of reno work will require water and/or electricity, one thing that
doesn't is preparing for lino installation. So, this means we can hold
our very first
work party. We were thinking
of holding it on Saturday, August 11th. If anyone has friends or family
who are willing to give a few hours here and there to help with
these Work Parties, of course
they are most welcome! We will have Work Parties regularly, but off and
on as certain things need to be done in a certain order.
We will
have a system that will serve as our central heat, central air conditioning
and air exchanger that will cut down on our energy costs, keep our animals
comfortable in the heat
and cold, and circulate and refresh the air to cut down on airborne viruses.
We will need to step up the fundraising a little bit, but this is far
too important to wait. We
are getting a couple estimates shortly.
There
is a plethora of things that will need to be done, such as:
August 19/07
We had another Work Party yesterday to rip up the
old carpeting. It was a real tug-of-war but it's finally out. It revealed
layers of tile and grubby old lino underneath that will be scraped off.
Then, because the floors are flat, and because we have linoleum sheeting
that will go part-way up the walls, we are confident that we can get at
least some of the lino installed ourselves rather than use the animal's
money to pay a pro. If we find we need to change gears part way through,
we will.
We are meeting with a kind electrician who read
about us in the paper and called to offer his crew, compassionate animal
lovers, to help with our electrical needs. We are also meeting with Terasen
to see what is involved in running gas to the shelter to possibly save
on our energy costs. Without water or power, we are at somewhat of an impasse
as to other things we can do. We will likely need to scrub and pressure
wash the outside of the building to prep it for painting, but again, we
are stymied without power.
So, the rest of the new-facility gig will be a lot
of shifting of plans to accommodate other things that need to be in place
first, and altering our course as we learn something we thought was a certain
way wasn't that way at all. The name of game at this point is flexibility
and a sense of humour!
August 24/07
All the old floor covering is ripped out but the floors will need a
final scraping which we will hopefully be able to accomplish during a Work
Park on Saturday. Once this is done (assuming we get it all done this weekend),
we'll start laying the lino next week. We likely won't have hydro for at
least another week (after Labour Day). Our electricians are getting the
permits for us, moving the fuse box, and taking care of a few other things.
The sewer/water connection could be started next week. The contractors
who will be building the porches have also stayed in touch and are working
on the game plan for that.
Sept 3/07
We've had work parties every weekend for the last while and we'll probably
have them every weekend for the next while too. We don't know how long
it will take us to finish. It depends on weather, the availability of contractors
and supplies.... But we're making progress all the time. We've prepared
all the floors for linoleum to be laid. We've cleaned the outside of the
building in preparation for painting. We've cleared a path through the
brush for power poles to be installed. The poles are supposed to arrive
this week. Our kind electricians gave us temporary power. They moved the
fuse box and moved one electrical outlet from each pen to the hallway.
They will install the lights once the HVAC system has been decided upon
and installed. They also arranged for permits. What a blessing they've
been. We'll get there!
Sept 30/07
Right up until August we were hoping we could be moved in by the end
of September. Well we're not going to be ready for the end of September.
But we still think we'll be moved in this year. We've painted most of the
outside. All we need is some dry weather to put on the finishing touches.
Meanwhile, we're painting the inside now. We've installed screen doors
on each communal room. Our hydro poles are in place. We're going to put
in a request for the installation of our phone. We've got our heating /
air conditioning system lined up for installation. The generous professionals
who will be doing our porches and windows for us are looking at when they
can come out to the site to work. And as for plumbing, we are waiting for
a company to get back to us about digging the trench we need and then plumbing
and sewage connections will be complete. So things are moving along.
Nov 19/07
Work has started on the porches now. Each communal room will have an
attached porch that allows the cats access to fresh air and sunshine. Otherwise,
it's a 'hurry-up-and-wait' process as contractors try to fit us into their
tight schedules. There's a domino effect if a contractor can't make it
out. The sewer trench had to be dug before the plumbing could be done...,
the windows and doors need to be installed before the painting can be finished
and the lino shouldn't be laid before the painting is complete. We're not
even going to try to predict when we'll be finished. We're just glad to
be a little bit closer to our goal every day. The heating/air conditioning/ventilation
system is installed. We've built and painted some perches for the cats
that can be attached to the walls when the rooms are ready. Each step is
encouraging.
Nov 24/07
Bad news. A plumber who had offered to take care of our plumbing installation
cannot do the work now because it's been so delayed, and some other major
issues have come up for him now. So we need a plumber to connect our toilet
and water, etc. to the lines. The plumber is going to see if he can get
someone else to do the job. But there is a possibility that we may need
a professional plumber. Unfortunately, while it's not a 'hard' job, it
will be a messy, picky job and trying to find someone to do it will probably
not be easy. If we look at the bright side (and we have to look
at the bright side), this 'step backward' should mean a 'step forward'
is due.
LATER...We just learned that the plumber cannot get any of his
plumber acquaintances to help us. They are getting double time on the weekends
because there is so much work for them out there. We're just not able to
compete on the market the way it is. We sure need some good luck now.
Jan
4/08
Naturally things slowed down on the building front in December as people
prepared to celebrate the season. But we weren't idle. Windows have been
cut that look into the communal rooms from the hallway. Screened windows
were cut into the communal room doors, and door handles were added to the
communal room doors instead of door knobs. We took out the old kitchen
cabinets (which had rotted in places) and we brought some donated cabinets
indoors which we had been storing under a tarp outside (to protect them
from the weather). The big jobs for which we particularly need professionals
are the building of the porches (not yet completed), installing doors to
the porches, and installing windows, and laying the lino. We've got some
leads to follow up, but everything depends on the contractors' schedules
and on what exactly we need. So nothing's for sure yet. But we're ever
optimistic.
Jan 20/08
The Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Bugel did a front page
article about our new shelter and how we needed some help. In the week
afterward, there was sudden flurry of progress that made all the volunteers
feel terrific and optimistic all over again. We had offers of help with
our biggest problem, the plumbing, due to the Bugel article. A volunteer's
husband offered his professional expertise in a couple of tasks. Another
volunteer's husband offered his carpentry skills to help with installation
of the exterior doors.
Our windows have arrived; (there's a delay in the
doors as we can't get them until our supplier's new ones arrive, and there's
been a delay in their new ones arriving). Installation of the windows began
yesterday even as a cold sleet fell. That will take a few weekends since
it's a fiddly job. A flooring installation company has been in touch about
possibly helping us out with the installation of our lino. Our porches
will be continued as soon as the weather breaks for a while and the temperatures
rise a bit. Our volunteers, Sandy and John, who have been working on the
building bit by bit almost continuously have pretty much completed what
they're able to do inside. New windows from the communal rooms to the hallway
have been cut and screened in. It looks so good!
Feb 24/08
The flurry of progress slowed down rather quickly, to our dismay. One
by one, experts' offers to donate their labour had to be retracted for
various reasons. Our volunteers had completed everything they could do
on their own. The interior windows have been cut and screened. The interior
doors are done. Shelves are ready to install. Painting is done. The place
went quiet as we began following up new leads. One lead panned out. A contractor
was recommended to us by another shelter for which he's done a lot of work.
We got in touch with him, and after seeing the place, he had agreed to
do our work, the plumbing and the carpentry. There will be a charge
but that's okay, we're ready to pay for anything we can't get donated and
can't do without. He has to complete another job but he should be able
to start our work in three weeks. Then it should go quickly. Once again,
we're crossing our fingers that we can get the plumbing, the porches, the
outside doors and windows and the security fencing finished in short order
once the work begins.
Mar 25/08
Our new contractor is ready to roll. We'll start
with the plumbing. The new hot water tank will be installed, and the kitchen
sinks and bathroom sink will be put in. It's possible that we could have
running water at the shelter by the end of the week!!!!!
We'll be using the cupboards and cabinets that were
donated to us. Our contractor confirms that they're excellent quality and,
being laminated as well as they are, they will work really well.
Then we'll get the porches done. The contractor
will dig foundations and complete the porches after the doors to access
them are done. Once the doors are installed, the lino installation professionals
can start laying the flooring.
If we can get everything done (plumbing, doors,
porches, roofs, wheelchair ramp...) in the one-month period which was given
as an attainable deadline, we will count our blessings (despite
paying rather than getting donated expertise -- the cost is reasonable)!
Also, we've had discussions about having a washer
and dryer at the shelter. Some volunteers argued that, with space at a
premium, we just don't have room on site, and we'd also have to worry about
the cost of maintenance. So the on-site washer and dryer were vetoed. Now
one of our senior volunteers suggested making the kitchen window into a
door which would lead to where we were planning sinks for washing litter
boxes. We could also make a small area for a washer and dryer out there.
It would be covered. It would make the cleaning of boxes and laundry a
lot easier. If we have that window turned into a door, it saves trekking
around the outside of the building to get to the sinks. This is something
we're going to have to think over and decide.
Apr 12/08
Finally, we are seeing so much progress. Our new contractor is working
every day except weekends and we're making great strides. We now have hot
and cold running water. The doors that will lead from each communal room
to its own porch have been installed. At last! We're so excited!
The top photo was taken after our new portable had been towed to our
site in two halves. The halves were connected with a hallway. Then we painted.
Now the doors are in place. The enclosed porches will be completed soon
The top photo shows the former office building connected with its new
hallway. Then a back door was added. We painted the whole inside. Then
we installed new doors and windows from each communal room to the hallway.
The photo at left is the kitchen as it was when office workers used
the building. We've decided have a washer and dryer under cover outside
so a door has replaced the window. We've had a more useful sink and better
cabinetry installed (all donated), and we have a new counter across from
the sink.
There's still a lot to be done. But we are definitely on our way now!
May 25/08
We made some huge strides forward so we were probably due for a step
backward. The porches had been started but had to be dismantled. It turned
out that they did not have a proper foundation. We needed to dig so proper
supports could go into the ground first. And the ground had some huge boulders
in it. So we had to rent equipment for digging these out. But that obstacle
has been overcome and we're moving forward again. Our contractor is still
working steadily on it. The porches and laying linoleum indoors are the
next big tasks to complete. At least the weather is cooperating now.
June 9/08
Our contractor had to take some time off from our job but he's back
at work on the porches -- a week sooner than we'd anticipated. The volunteers
weren't idle while he was away though. They painted a protective layer
on the walls of the communal rooms (for ease of cleaning). They rented
a truck and spent a day fetching rolls of linoleum and piles of lumber
from where they'd been stored at different volunteers' homes and they took
away a big pile of garbage and recycling from the new shelter site. Once
the lino is installed (that's the next thing we have to arrange for), the
baseboards will be painted and installed. Then we can install the cat runs
and shelving and move in scratching posts and furnishings.
June 19/08
The framing and wire for the porches are being constructed down one
side of the building now. In between, when the hammering was finished for
the day, volunteers went in and painted the framing. The linoleum installation
is also starting now. Volunteers scraped the thin, flaking tile off the
hall floor and the installer recommended a heavy duty tile for the hall
rather than lino. Since the hall will see a lot of heavy duty use, we're
going to get some price quotes; it could be worthwhile. We might also need
to get a few more rolls of lino to avoid seams in the communal rooms. We've
seen at our current shelter how seams create a weak place for cracking
and curling to start. It will be worth it to get it done right and have
a sturdy, clean flooring. We're definitely making some headway these days!
July
5/08
Things are still flying along. The porch on the other side is well
underway. After construction ceases for the day, volunteers are painting
the new posts. We're also enclosing an area by the kitchen on the east
porch for a washer and dryer. You can see that on the right side of the
photo. The lino is partly installed in the communal rooms. We've decided
to go with sturdy tiling for the hall floor, as was recommended to us.
Next should be roofing for the porches. Then perches and shelving in the
communal rooms. Last will be the security fencing. It looks like this summer
is going to be a busy one as we finish this shelter and prepare to vacate
the old one.
July 6/08
We've been hit by thieves. First, we had some thick wiring coiled outside
the building that was fed through the wall for a washer and dryer (the
coils you see in the photo). It was cut right up by the wall and was taken.
That's about $50 worth. Then, yesterday, volunteers arrived to find our
front door knob smashed. We had to call a locksmith. :( It looks
like we're going to have to add serious security measures to our budget.
We'll have the perimeter fencing, but if someone is determined.... And
our cats are so trusting, they'll come running to any human being, hoping
for strokes and pets, particularly the residents in the Boys' Pen. We can't
bear the thought of what pranksters could do in the middle of the night.
July 8/08
A bit of good news followed the weekend's bad news about the wiring
and door knob: we called Bell Locksmith in Maple Ridge to come and fix
our door and they donated their time. They helped us out before when our
lock at the barn broke; they fixed it as a favour to the shelter. Then,
someone left a pile of tiles outside the barn which happen to be exactly
what we wanted for the hall floor! That will save the shelter about $100!
July 29/08
The volunteers had a meeting last night to discuss our Opening Day.
While we think the occasion warrants fireworks and confetti, we're reminding
ourselves to keep it do-able. From the way the building is progressing,
we have a half dozen weeks left to plan for our Opening Day. We still need
a roof over the porches on both sides, and the security fencing -- the
two main 'big-ticket' items remaining. And we've actually used up our building
fund and are now dipping into the unallocated donations, despite the volunteers
dipping into their personal Savings for a few items. Planning and budgeting
this was the hardest thing we've undertaken and a real learning experience.
There have been set backs and unanticipated expenses for sure. But we're
optimistic that we'll be okay; we've beaten all the odds so far. This winter
we'll actually be in our new 'home'. No more notes in the log book reminding
volunteers to bring water from home because the pump is frozen!
The changes to date are pretty amazing!
The front porch will be an extended area for both
the Boys' Pen and the front of the Long Termers' area. This will expand
their year-round living space.
The porch also allows us to add a wheelchair ramp
to the front of the building.
Aug 20/08
Our opening day won't be as soon as we'd hoped. (You'd think that by
now we'd know better than to try to predict it.) The delivery of our roofing
materials has been delayed. So now they're due to arrive next week. Our
contractor thinks it will take about a week to install once the materials
arrive. A grader is due to level the property today. Once that's done,
the different stairways and the wheelchair ramp can be completed.
Sept 1/08
The roofing material arrived and half of it went up very quickly already.
We set the last day of August as the day we would commit to a date for
our opening festivities. By August 31, we felt confident about setting
our grand opening for Saturday September 27. There's still lots of painting
to be done, we have to lay sod in the back, and there are several other
loose ends to tie up. But we can do it! The planning for our opening day
has begun!
Sept 17/08
Ten days to our Opening Day! There's still work to be done. We're painting
all day long right now. As soon as our contractor had a new set of steps
built, volunteers descended on it and painted feverishly. The roof is on.
The steps to all the porch gates are complete. We had a set back when arrangements
to have the tile installed in the hallway fell through. But we've spoken
to someone else and we're still hopeful that it will be done in time. Worst
case scenario: we celebrate our opening day without the hall being tiled
yet. We don't think we'll be able to get sod laid around the building in
time. And we're on the waiting list for the fence installer to do our perimeter
fencing. He'll be able to do it in October. But most of the new building
will be ready. The communal rooms are all painted and the lino is laid
in them. We just have to clean them up and furnish them. We'll be busy
right up to zero hour. We're so excited. The shelter is so amazingly beautiful!
Sept 25/08
Here it is, the day before the 'Day Before'. It won't be complete as
in 'go-home-there's-nothing-to-do'. We expect to be touching up and troubling
shooting for a while to come. Our fencing and sod will come later so the
yard will be bare-bones on Saturday. The cats won't move in for a couple
more weeks; we don't want them there before the security fencing is installed
due to the vandalism we've seen. But the big work on the shelter will be
done and people will be able to see what it looks like. Some volunteers
are at the new shelter working from morning to dusk. We all have tired
faces and butterflies in our stomachs as we put on the last touches before
the opening day, and there are the usual last minute hitches and glitches...
"These doors stick, does anyone have some WD40?" ... "The roof is leaking!"
"The contractor will fix that when he gets back in a couple of weeks."
... "We can't get this glue off the windows." "I have some stuff
at home for that." ... "Oh no, the paint washed off the wheel chair ramp
last night!" "We'll just have to forget that until the weather dries
up." ... "Hey, there are still paint smears on the porch, we have to touch
up the touch-ups" ... "One day, we'll look back and laugh." ....
Sept 27/08
We were ready and the shelter was beautiful. So many friends came and
everyone
thought it was beautiful. Today was a proud day! There's still work to
be done. But tonight, we rest. :)
Nov 7/08
The fence installation should be complete by Monday. We're crossing
our fingers that nothing comes up between now and then, and we've set the
move date for the cats: November 11. Emptying the old barn will be traumatic
for the animals so we hope to have a minimal number of people working there
and will try to keep it as calm and quiet as possible under the circumstances.
Once cats arrive at the new shelter over a number of relays and are released
into their new quarters, some will hide, most will be wide-eyed and tense,
but a few bold ones will probably enjoy the opportunity to check out a
new environment. It's going to be a tough day. In fact, it will be a tough
week because of the stress on the animals of moving. But they will be so
happy there once they adjust.
By Saturday November 15, our first "Open Hours" day in the new place,
people can visit the cats IN THEIR NEW HOME! Unbelievable! It feels like
reaching the Promised Land.
See our new "New Beginning" page for a peek at the new shelter.