Super Heroes Humane Society moves to new home

May 10—Volunteers were busy Friday inside the new Super Heroes Humane Society getting ready for its grand opening.

While volunteers worked at setting up tables for refreshments, a basket raffle and merchandise to sell during the open house, cats slept on windowsills, in cat beds and in crates in different areas of the shelter, and OJ, the only dog at the shelter munched on dog treats. The shelter has 37 animals total between the new shelter and the shelter on Winney Hill Road.

"It's been quite the journey," Kristin Kulow, president of the society's board, said. The organization formed in 2018, and bought the building at 160 Pony Farm Road in Oneonta in 2021. The organization submitted a grant application to the state at the beginning of 2022 and was approved. According to a Daily Star archive, the society received a $440,000 grant from the state. There was a delay in funding and the organization received the funds in 2023 to complete phase one of the project. Phase one, which cost $700,000, completed all of the animal living and surgery spaces in the building.

Kulow gave a quick tour of the building Friday. When a person walks into the shelter, they are greeted by cats and kittens in four cat rooms as they approach a reception area. People can go into the rooms and meet the cats and kittens. Farther into the building is the dog kennel and more room for cats. There are six double-sided kennels for dogs, while the cat room has cages stacked like towers. There is a surgery preparation room and surgical suite for in-house spay and neuter services. There is also kitchen and laundry room and storage rooms for food, bedding and other equipment. All the animals coming into the shelter go through either a dog or cat intake room where they receive flea and tick treatments and are dewormed. The animal will spend some time in a quarantine room before they are integrated with the other cats or dogs.

"We made sure all the animal space was built first," Kulow said. "That's our priority."

Kulow said the new shelter has "a lot more space," than the one on Winney Hill Road. "It's such a nice, bright building. There are a lot of windows for the sunshine to come in for the animals. I'm certain the cats have enjoyed looking out the windows and sleeping on the windowsills."

The shelter will need to raise another $650,000 to finish the rest of the indoor spaces — for people — and outdoor living spaces, she said. According to a sign on the wall over a drawing of the shelter, phase two will include: roof repair on the entire building, fenced-in dog yard and isolation yard, surgical equipment, animal adoption and counseling room, community room, four outdoor catios, entry vestibule, reception area, office space, staff bathroom, laundry and kitchen storage space, paved driveway and parking area and emergency generator.

As the residents of the shelter move from the Winney Hill Road shelter to the one on Pony Farm Road, Kulow said she was thankful for Dr. Joan Puritz and all the volunteers who have helped along the way. The new sign in front of the building was an Eagle Scout project by Aidan Hendricks. He raised the money to buy the new sign and painted the posts that hold the sign.

The shelter will host its grand opening Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12. There will be ribbon cutting ceremony at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11. The shelter will be open from noon to 4 p.m. each day.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.