Animal foundation hopes
to move this month

Answer: The foundation remains on state land because it could not find another location, but board member Bernice Bowers said this week that the nonprofit group believes it finally has found another site that suits its purpose.

She said the new site, in the mauka portion of Waimanalo, would be leased to the foundation by a private landowner for a nominal fee. Once a deal is complete, the foundation hopes to rally volunteers to build animal enclosures and move this month.

The foundation learned in June that it would have to leave the 19 acres of state Department of Land and Natural Resources agricultural land it had occupied for eight years. A department spokeswoman said the foundation was expected to pay its former monthly rent and make every effort to find a new location as quickly as possible.

Another DLNR parcel in Waimanalo was considered, but rejected because it is in a flood zone.

Meanwhile, the new lessee of the state land, Landscape Hawaii, has been waiting to take possession. DLNR Director Peter Young has said the company's lease term will commence when it is actually on the property.

The Sylvester Foundation describes itself as dedicated to providing "a peaceful, permanent and loving environment for the homeless animals of Hawaii." It has eight dogs, about 200 cats and five pot-bellied pigs.

Bowers said the foundation hopes to establish an animal-care education program with children living in Waimanalo's Weinberg Village transitional homes. The foundation's Web site is at www.sylvesteranimals.com.