With the opening date right around the corner, work on the new Chatham-Kent Animal Shelter seems to be coming along smoothly.
With the help of some volunteers, workers at the shelter gave the building curb appeal on Friday by getting some landscaping and planting done.
Members of the International Plowing Match's Beautification Committee, as well as the Enbridge/Union Gas Helping Hands retirees group and the Chatham Horticultural Society, were all on hand to help decorate the outside of the building with flowers and shrubs. On top of doing the manual labour, the groups also donated to the shelter to help make the landscaping possible.
Allison Foran was one of the volunteers who got her hands dirty for the sake of a good cause.
"My aunt is the one who kind of put this together, so I was glad when she offered me the chance to help out," said Foran. "I love working with these guys and the plants...It was a great opportunity to help the community."
Construction began on the building, located on Park Ave. E in Chatham, in late June 2018. According to Lynn McGeachy-Schultz, animal shelter project coordinator, everything is on track for the shelter to open its doors in the next few weeks.
"Right now we're in the deficiency stage of the project," she explained. "We're just doing all those little things that [we've] got left. We're going to have an opportunity to thank our donors then very early in June, we're going to have an open house once we get all the animals in and settled."
According to McGeachy-Schultz, there are a few outstanding needs for inside the shelter as well as a bit more fundraising to go. However, she said overall they are in great shape.
"I just can hardly wait to show the world the building," McGeachy-Schultz explained. "It's a really great building inside."