Lisa Small of Delco Loves Animals thinks one of the nine buildings at the Don Guanella property in Marple would be an excellent location for a cat sanctuary to address a growing stray animal problem, writes Kathleen E. Carey for the Daily Times.
The 213-acre Don Guanella property is the future site of Delco Woods, a county park.
“Maybe we could have animal control stationed there. We could have a veterinary clinic there,” she suggested at a community meeting last week.
County officials are open to discussing the problem of stray and abandoned animals, especially since municipalities and volunteers have been facing mounting costs to cope with the problem, but the former Don Guanella site would not be ideal.
“Most of the structures at Delco Woods are not usable, and any that could potentially be salvaged would require significant investment to become operational,” said Delaware County Communication Director Michael Connolly.
James Schnabel said he is willing to refit the building to comply with regulations. Appropriate zoning would also be needed.
A nonprofit would also have to be found to staff the building, which would remain under county ownership, Lisa Small said.
Read more about Delco Loves Animals and the proposed cat sanctuary in the Daily Times.
Editor’s Note: This post was initially published on DELCO.Today in November 2025.
