The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners announced today it will dedicate a new Prince Frederick animal shelter in honor of former Calvert County Commissioner Linda Kelley. The Owings resident is widely known as a vocal and committed advocate of animal rights and their safe and humane treatment.
The Linda L. Kelley Animal Shelter will save all healthy and treatable animals, even when the shelter is full. Only terminally ill animals or those considered dangerous to public safety will be euthanized.
“Linda Kelley led Calvert County’s charge for many years to build its own animal shelter and end its investment in the regional tri-county shelter,” said Board President Tom Hejl. “This is her dream, she helped bring it to reality and her name belongs on it.”
At a May 17, 2016 press conference, the board announced it was entering into a public/private partnership to lease a facility for a new animal shelter with an option to purchase the building at a later date. The shelter will be between 8,000 and 14,000 square feet and employ up to 10 full-time positions. “It’s everything we always hoped it would be,” shared Kelley as she took the podium to speak at the press conference.
Kelley was elected to her first term as a county commissioner in 1994. She was subsequently re-elected in 1998, 2002 and 2006. A woman of deep compassion and convictions, she is also credited with spearheading the opening and operation of Safe Harbor, Calvert County’s shelter for abused women and children, and supported many other county initiatives.
She has a strong background in civic involvement, having served on dozens of boards, commissions and coalitions including the board of the Friends of Felines and the Tri-County Animal Shelter. Her decades of involvement with the local Boy Scouts, Dunkirk Area Concerned Citizens Association, the Calvert County Ethics Commission, Calvert Citizens Coalition, the Maryland Chapter of Grandparents United for Children’s Rights, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse, to name a few, has helped to shape and improve Calvert County’s community.
