Grand County breaks ground on state-of-the-art animal shelter

GRANBY, Colo. — Mary Ann Kerstiens addressed a large crowd of supporters in Grand County on Monday and was immediately met with a wave of cheers.

“We could not have done this without all of you,” Kerstiens told the crowd.

After 30 years of making do, the Grand County Animal Shelter broke ground on a new home on Monday. The road to get here was paved with a lot of support from their community and Denver7’s viewers, who donated thousands to the cause through our Denver7 Gives foundation.

“It’s phenomenal,” said Jennifer Gelbhaus, president of Grand County Pet Pals. “This day, it’s like a dream.”

For the past 30 years, the shelter has operated out of a building owned by the sanitation department. The sanitation department needs the space back, so Grand County Pet Pals launched a fundraising effort to build a home of its own.

“We still have to get the permits going and then hopefully, start of June, we are fully under construction,” Kerstiens said.

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Kerstiens and Diana Farabaugh were two of the most instrumental people behind the movement.

“This is beyond what I could ever imagine,” Kerstiens said. “It shows the community is behind us.”

“What a beautiful day for this,” Farabaugh said.

The new shelter will cost an estimated $2 million. Denver7 was proud to contribute about $15,000 to that effort through our Denver7 Gives foundation and donations from you, our generous viewers.

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As the expression goes, every dog has its day, and Monday was Grand County’s day.

“We saw clouds and we were hoping they would push off, and they did,” said Gelbhaus of the weather, which broke just as the ceremony kicked off at noon on Monday.

“It’s a dream,” Kerstiens said. “It’s a dream coming true for us.”

The timeline for getting the new facility built is quick. With the weather in the high country, they like to fast-track these projects, so we’re told locals should see a lot of construction on the site within the next month, with the hope of finishing the facility within 14 to 16 months.

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