Haines Animal Rescue Kennel has room to grow.

Long-time Haines resident and philanthropist Lucy Harrell earlier this year donated her property – a little over half an acre of land – to HARK adjacent to the kennel’s existing one-acre tract on Small Tracts Road.

HARK also purchased a 30-by-300-foot strip of land on the opposite side of the property from the Huff family.

Executive director Tracy Mikowski said the organization’s lot lines were at such an angle where its shed and part of the driveway were unknowingly built on the Huff’s property.

It took three years to legally move the lot line because easements that involved the state Department of Natural Resources and the Haines Borough had to be addressed, Mikowski said.

“It’s been crazy to figure out,” she said.

The shelter used a $5,000 grant from the Rasmuson Foundation to pay for Dowl Engineering consultant in Juneau to complete land surveys.

HARK’s property line now lies about 20 feet behind the shed. Mikowski said besides the Huff property, there was really no room to expand.

“As this was going on, we had no idea Lucy would give us that property,” Mikowski said. Harrell turned over the land to HARK in late spring this year.

Harrell’s donated land was previously used for boat storage and includes a small dry cabin that was once rented as a residence. There were no stipulations with the donation, Mikowski said. The HARK board can do what they want with the land, including selling it, converting it, or holding on to it for future use.

Mikowski said she had ideas to develop a permanent veterinary clinic there to encourage veterinarians to visit Haines. Another idea is to offer a pet boarding facility for people to temporarily leave their pets when they go out of town.

The HARK board will meet Thursday to start brainstorming what could be done with the space.

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