Town Of Babylon Unveils New Animal Shelter In Amityville

BABYLON, NY - The Town of Babylon recently opened the new facility for the town animal shelter in Amityville.

The shelter moved from it's previous location in West Babylon to the new space on 80 New Highway last month.

The facility, which was named after former Deputy Supervisor Ellen McVeetyDesign, wad designed to provide a premium adoption process to find animals their forever homes.

Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez and the rest of the Town Board joined dozens of residents and activists to celebrate the grand opening of the new shelter on Oct. 23.

“The opening of this beautiful facility has been a long time coming,” Schaffer said. “The staff and volunteers at our animal shelter are incredibly dedicated. They deserve the best working environment possible as they assist these animals and our residents.”

More specifically, the facility took 5 years and $10 million to complete, Newsday reports.

The facility, which mostly houses cats and dogs, has unique features for both.

Cats have free roam from their spacious living quarters to an outdoor cat porch where they can lay in the sun and interact with one another.

Unlike the old shelter, dog kennels do not face each other and are in a room behind angled, mirrored glass that let prospective adopters see in without the dogs being disturbed.

There are also a dozen individual air conditioning systems ensure that cats and dogs are not exposed to the same air, which reduces the risk of the spread of disease and results in them not knowing the other is in the building, keeping them calmer.

“Every feature of this facility was thoroughly discussed and planned out, with the health and well-being of our staff and the animals always being the number one concern,” shelter director Chris Elton said. “Everything that was put into this building is going to help us care and find homes for more animals than ever.”

In addition to the amenities dedicated to the quality of life for animals, the facility features a modern lobby with natural lighting, a welcoming entrance to greet future adopters and a dedicated play room for potential adopters to get to know their new pet.

“So many Town of Babylon employees and outside contractors collaborated on this project to ensure the best possible facility was built,” Deputy Supervisor Martinez said.

Image via Town of Babylon