Slidell Mayor Ben Morris told the City Council Thursday night there has been a lot of progress made on the proposed new animal shelter.

He announced he had selected Richard C. Lambert Consultants LLC as the design engineers for the shelter.

The city plans to build the new shelter on the site of the current Mosquito Abatement Office, which is across the street from the old animal shelter on Terrace Avenue. The biggest news from the mayor was that the money needed for the construction was being put in place. The city will receive $3 million for the new shelter thanks to a ruling by the California Attorney General.

Right after Hurricane Katrina, a California-based animal rights organization, called Noah’s Wish, came to Slidell to help the city’s Animal Control Division with all the abandoned animals in the city. During its stay, Noah’s Wish was able to raise $8 million in donations to help the animal shelter.

But in 2006, California Attorney General Edmund Brown Jr. began investigating the finances of Noah’s Wish after getting reports the $8 million was not being used to help the animal victims of Katrina.

A financial statement from Noah’s Wish showed it had spent $1.4 million on hurricane relief efforts, and $4 million remained in the organization’s account. There were other allegations the founder and president of Noah’s Wish, Terri Crisp, had given herself a large raise in salary and bought several cars. It was also alleged that Noah’s Wish had spent part of the donations on other “charitable purposes” and overhead costs.

Brown and Noah’s Wish reached a settlement on July 16, 2007. Under the agreement, Noah’s Wish had to put the $4 million in a special fund, and $1 million was earmarked for Slidell to build the animal shelter. Also, Noah’s Wish can never hire Crisp, nor appoint her to their board of directors.

Brown sent $3 million to the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, who put the money in trust to the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Morris said Thursday the city would be able to draw down the money from the GNO Foundation as the shelter is constructed.

“However, we cannot spend more than $3 million,” Morris said.

Now that the money is in place and the design engineers are hired, the only thing holding up the project is Mosquito Abatement. Its new building, being built at the Slidell Municipal Airport, is almost complete.

“They should be out of here in the next two to three weeks,” Slidell Animal Control Director Damian Anti said Friday. “When that happens, we will begin demolition.”

Anti said the new shelter would have double the kennel space of the old facility. The adoption room would be bigger, and there would be more isolation rooms. He said the administrative offices would be bigger with more meeting rooms, plus there would be a clinic for veterinarians to perform spaying and neutering procedures.

“It will be a bright and cheery place and a state-of-the-art facility,” Anti said.