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facility may not have drop-offs while Animal Control must have one. He noted that they would have the capacity for 40 cats and ten dogs, for a total capacity of 50 animals; the East County shelter has the capacity for 150 animals at build-out. He noted that they would walk one dog at a time, which provided the dual benet3ts of calming the dogs and making them more adoptable pets. Mark Freund noted that he was anine-year Pleasanton resident and spoke in support of this item. He had been a volunteer for VHS for seven years and served as its treasurer and Chair of the Investment Committee. He noted that the investment fund was dedicated to the building of this project. He noted that with the exception of a $175,000 grant from the Mutty'.s fund, much of the funding had been raised through grassroots fundraising. He noted that the conservative management of the funds had been successful to date but that they still needed to raise an additional million dollars. He noted that the required improvement to the road was a significant burden at this time. He noted that David Stegman was the former Executive Director of Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation and had considerable fundraising experience in addition to building ARF's Walnut Creek facility. He believed this facility would be a great asset to Pleasanton and added that the current temporary facility offered only amonth-to-month lease. Nicki Hoppi noted that she was a 15-year resident and spoke in support of this matter. She noted that she had served as president and in other capacities for VHS and believed that it provided a valuable service to both the animals and people of the community. She noted that the animals have been brought into senior facilities and rehab facilities to bring cheer to the residents. She added that VHS will waive the adoption fee if a senior citizen would like to have a cat or small dog, and they recognized the value that animals have in people's lives. She noted that VHS offered socializing time for cats by children, which enables the children to learn compassion toward animals. She noted that VHS assisted people with spaying and neutering issues, as well as taking in the animals of battered women or people awaiting surgery so that they will be well-cared-for. Kathleen Gilcrest, President, VHS, addressed the organizational efforts that have taken place recently. She noted that in 2002, Valley Humane undertook a comprehensive strategic planning process and engaged non-profit professional planners in that process. The report that was produced and the planning process confirmed the long-standing goal of acquiring or constructing a building that would serve as a permanent home for VHS. It also recommended certain changes within the structure of the organization that would enable VHS to better sustain its operation and to support a facility of its own. As a result of that report, VHS transitioned from a working board organization to a governing board and established a program management team to complement the governing board. She noted that the management team was comprised of volunteers, and the executive director and operations director were hired. She noted that the governing board was comprised of professionals in banking, communications, technology, development, and law, including a pro bond lawyer from Morrison & Foerster to assist in the restructuring process. - THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES February 1 I, 2004 Page 8 of 19