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Ward Wiseman Animal Haven cites lack of communication with city as an issue in lease renewal

One of the dogs at Ward Wiseman Animal Haven
Zach Boblitt / KWGS News
One of the dogs at Ward Wiseman Animal Haven

People packed the Collinsville city commissioners meeting Monday night to try to save the Ward Wiseman Animal Haven as its lease nears expiration. City officials plan to close the shelter due to lack of space and capacity.

The original lease for Ward Wiseman required the shelter to hold 10 of their 14 kennels for animal control. But then the city started rescuing cats, and not just dogs. Board President of Ward Wiseman Animal Haven Coza Huffman said she was negotiating with the city about the animal control requirement, but officials stopped communicating.

“We had made several attempts with the city to try to get a couple of issues resolved. (We) thought we had those resolved and then we didn’t hear anything for about six months. Then we got the notice that they were not going to renew the lease.”

The city sent Ward Wiseman a notice in September that their lease wasn’t being renewed. Huffman said changes began when the city hired a new animal control officer a few years ago.

“She brought in a lot of animals, much more than what we could even take and started using other rescues. Then what we were getting, started to dwindle down.”

Public Radio Tulsa attempted to speak with Collinsville Animal Control Officer Amber Smith and City Manager Chuck Ralls. Neither responded to our request for comment. Ward Wiseman’s lease finishes at the end of this year.

Zach Boblitt is a news reporter and Morning Edition host for KWGS. He is originally from Taylorville, Illinois. No, that's not near Chicago. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Springfield and his master's from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Yes, that is near Chicago. He is a fan of baseball, stand-up comedy and sarcasm.