Pope Memorial SPCA to build new training, education center across from current facility

The Pope Memorial SPCA is expanding its facilities across the street to include a training and education center that is expected to open by the spring. 

Due to overcrowding and lack of space for programs, executive director Heather Faria decided it was best to build a 1,970 square-foot building across the street from the current facility on Silk Farm Road to create an additional office area for current employees, more room for children’s camps, a training facility for dog handlers and an education center for staff. 

“The current shelter was overcrowded with a multitude of projects that we offer and we found ourselves competing for space,” she said. “When we had the opportunity to acquire land, we decided to construct a new building to dedicate our efforts to those [projects].”

A foundation for the new structure was recently poured and site operations manager Peter Johnson of Cobb Hill Construction expects exterior construction and framing to be complete by the new year. Through the winter and early spring, Johnson and the construction team will work on interior finishes to be complete by the spring. 

The timing is right for Faria.

“For us, the busiest time of the year is late spring through late fall and we should have the building open starting in 2023 to accommodate all of these programs,” Faria said. 

The building will cost almost $1 million, Faria said. Some of the funding was acquired through private donors and grants but the Pope Memorial SPCA of Concord-Merrimack County is still fundraising for the project. 

“We do plan to support local pet owners, humane education programs, camps for children, volunteer trainings and orientations,” Faria said. “We’re hopeful the facility will be attractive enough and large enough for outside organizations to rent it as well.”