The Montgomery County SPCA is looking to better understand the community’s needs as officials plan the future of their facilities.
The facility at 1006 Edge Hill Road in Abington has been closed since November due to a black mold outbreak. Montgomery County SPCA CEO Abigal Smith, who began her role two months ago, told Glenside Local that for now, the Abington shelter will remain closed as officials finish strategic planning to match programming and services “with specific needs in communities across Montgomery County.”
“We had to mitigate the mold issues, and before we open back up, we have to reimagine what we’re doing with that space,” she said, noting that the facility’s animals were relocated to either the Conshohocken or Perkiomenville locations.
The Montgomery County SPCA recently launched a Community Survey, which Smith is hoping will guide future plans.
“We hope the survey helps us understand what folks need from us. We have an opportunity in Abington to repurpose that footprint,” she said. “We’re looking for feedback. We could do all kinds of community programs in there, though it’s safe to say that it’ll still be an adoption facility.”
Officials expect to have more to share in the coming weeks and months, Smith said.
In related news, the organization’s headquarters may be moving from Conshohocken (Whitemarsh Township) 1450 Union Meeting Road in Blue Bell (Whitpain Township). The Whitpain Township Zoning Board voted on July 17 to grant a special exception to allow an animal shelter and veterinary clinic within the AR-Administrative Research Zoning District.
Smith told MoreThanTheCurve.com this week that the organization has yet to close on the Blue Bell location and that any move from Conshohocken to Blue Bell would likely be in 2027. She further offered that the SPCA does “not plan to continue to run operations at this location once we have a new headquarters.”
All three of the Montco SPCA’s facilities came under fire last fall following a lengthy review by the Philadelphia Inquirer titled “Euthanasia, understaffing, and broken kennels are rampant at Montco’s ultra-wealthy SPCA“. You can read Glenside Local’s previous coverage of the issue here.
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Photos: Montco SPCA, Google