Timberline Ace Hardware is teaming up with Hoof & Paw animal rescue in an effort to raise funds to repair the building’s roof and prevent future flooding. The shelter’s current roofing situation resulted in the dog kennel being flooded during recent heavy storms.
Jennifer Mortell, who alongside her husband owns several Ace Hardware stores, has a history with Hoof and Paw. She said in the past, Hoof & Paw helped her rescue a dog she found on the side of the road. More recently, she adopted her dog, Lucy, from Hoof & Paw.
It was while she was taking Lucy for a walk that she ran into a friend, who asked her if she had heard of the flooding at Hoof & Paw.
“I contacted Tonya, and she was really upset. She was crying and didn't know what to do. She was really stressed out about it, and I told her we wanted to help,” Mortell said.
Mortell said she and her husband discussed the situation and decided to start a donation campaign. Starting Oct. 14 and lasting 30 days, customers at three Ace Hardware locations — Norwood, Telluride and Clifton — will have the option to round up to the nearest dollar amount when making a purchase at the register. The proceeds will go to Hoof & Paw.
“They’ve helped so many dogs, they don't turn anyone away.” Mortell said.
The shelter, which currently houses four dogs and 30 cats, has had issues with drainage since the building first came into use by the nonprofit in 2017, said director Tonya Stephens.
“Generally we just try to be careful and not use a lot of water,” Stephens said.
But the water from the storms could not be avoided.
“That night they sat in wet environments for who knows how long, several hours. Bedding, everything was wet. They were sitting in a puddle,” she said.
Efforts have been made by the Town of Naturita to mitigate the drainage problems in the past, but have resulted in little success, as there are no plans for the building, which was built in 1980.
The current goal is to raise enough money to build a new roof for the shelter, as well as an addition to the roof, which will cover the dog run.
“The actual shelter roof isn’t leaking, but it’s old. Pieces of the shingles crumble,” Stephens said.
The dog run is an uncovered concrete slab, adjacent to the side of the building where the dog kennels and dog doors are located. This concrete slab is angled toward the building, which worsens flooding during inclement weather.
Stephens said the cost to fix everything is unclear, but she has been told $9,000 to $15,000 in the past. Currently only $2,000 has been raised.
She said the Town of Nucla has offered to help cover the cost of repair, but first wanted her to get two or three bids for them to choose from. Stephens said she had never put out a bid, and had to have help learning how to before doing so.
“We asked for bids. Not one person applied for that. We just keep struggling along with what we have,” she said.
She added that the town would be revisiting the topic at their board meeting on Oct. 22.
