FERRIDAY &045; In spite of a lack of funding and the hindrance of a slow legal system, the Concordia Animal Welfare and Rescue Shelter Committee continues doggedly in its efforts to build a facility for stray creatures in the parish.

The committee has made a good deal of progress over the past two years, securing incorporated status with the state of Louisiana, writing bylaws and establishing a board of directors.

Now, with an application for

501(C)3 not-for-profit status making its way through the Internal Revenue Service and a tentative agreement with the Town of Ferriday, the committee might be getting closer to its goal.

Committee member Kally Dennig sent in the 501(C)3 paperwork two months ago, but, considering the Byzantine structure of the IRS, approval might take some time.

&uot;We’ve got our fingers crossed,&uot; fellow committee member Donna Maroon said. &uot;As soon as we get some kind of confirmation, we’ll be able to begin raising funds.&uot;

But even with the capacity to raise funds, Maroon admitted that the committee won’t be able to go it alone. That’s where Ferriday comes in.

In April, Mayor Glenn McGlothin initiated a bare bones animal control program with plans for a five-dog pen on Poole Road.

Through a series of meetings, Maroon and Dennig have made rough plans with McGlothin to join forces.

Maroon said cooperation between Ferriday and the committee would save money and effort and do away with the need to find a location for a shelter.

The committee has drafted a letter to the Police Jury to show its support for McGlothin’s efforts while it waits for word from the IRS.

&uot;We all know there’s not enough money for two,&uot; Maroon said.

The idea, Maroon said, would be to augment McGlothin’s holding pens with a building to allow the shelter to provide all the customary services of a shelter, like adoption, spaying and neutering.

Although the facility would be housed in Ferriday, it would take in the entire parish, save Vidalia, which already has a shelter.

&uot;The main thing we wanted to do was to stipulate that it’s for the whole parish,&uot; Maroon said.

Ridgecrest and Ferriday reportedly have the most severe dog problems in the parish