Made possible through a generous donation from Chris Lundin in memory of her late husband, Larry, the addition that will stand next to the current shelter at 6975 County 426 M.5 Road in Escanaba. The space will provide room for educational programs, adopter training sessions, fundraisers, meetings, birthday parties and other community activities, shelter officials said.

According to Delta Animal Shelter Executive Director Tonya Gartland, plans for the project date back to 2019 but were repeatedly postponed due to unforeseen challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, a large-scale puppy mill rescue and rising construction costs.

“Every year, we kind of revisited it and didn’t know if we could afford it,” Gartland said. “In this line of work, you never know what kind of animals are going to come in, what medical conditions they may have or another puppy mill.”

Chris said she approached the shelter after her husband’s passing in March 2025 and asked if they had any projects or other needs that needed financial assistance. In response, shelter officials shared their long-standing plans for the addition.

The Delta Animal Shelter's newest addition will stand next to the shelter at 6975 County 426 M.5 Road in Escanaba and is expected to be completed this fall. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)

“I went home and thought about it a little while and talked to the family about it,” Chris said. “We all agreed that it would be a wonderful thing to do. It’s from the whole family, but we’re going to call it the Larry and Chris Lundine Education Center.”

Chris said the donation serves as both a tribute to Larry’s love of animals and a way for the family to support the community.

“My husband loved animals, and it’s something that has always been very important to us,” she said. “We thought it would be something good for the community, because the community has been good to us.”

The shelter marked the new chapter on Tuesday with an official groundbreaking ceremony attended by shelter staff, project contractors, members of the shelter’s board of directors and Chris.

The roughly 2,500-square-foot building will feature an open gathering space capable of accommodating about 50 people.

Attendees of the Delta Animal Shelter's groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday braved the rain to celebrate the beginning of the long-awaited project. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Pess)

The expansion is expected to be completed this fall, and shelter officials are looking forward to reintroducing popular programs and activities that were previously limited by space constraints.

“The birthday parties were so much fun,” Gartland said. “We really enjoyed having the kids here, so that’ll be one of the first things we bring back once we open.”

Gartland emphasized the importance of introducing children to the shelter’s operations at a young age.

“To us, having kids involved in the shelter early is very important,” she said. “It helps them understand what the shelter is and what it does, and hopefully they become supporters in the future.”

The shelter currently offers the Happy Trails Story Time program for children during the school year and the Snuggles with Seniors program. It also welcomes educational tours for schools, civic groups and members of the public.

“A lot of people think we are just an adoption center, but we are a lot more than that,” Gartland added. “We want to show people what else we can provide for them.”

The addition will also include six individual cat rooms, or “pods,” designed for long-term shelter cats that benefit from a quieter, more independent environment. Gartland said the shelter currently has about four long-term feline residents affectionately known as “roamers.”

Construction is being completed by Roy Ness Contracting & Sales Inc., with design work by Jason Campbell of Dynamic Design Group Inc.

For Gartland and shelter staff, the project represents the fulfillment of a vision years in the making.

“It’s been this dream come true. We’ve been waiting on it since 2019, so it’s been a long time having this plan,” Gartland said. “It’s going to be a great asset to the community. We’re excited to be bringing more stuff back to our community and being able to help them out. We’re really grateful for Chris.”

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.