Animal Shelter Board votes to end relationship with Hansen


From left to right: Sheriff Dean Kruger, Merri Hansen and Jim Gronbach are pictured at a site on 19th Street North, the proposed location for an animal shelter for the city/county. The Humboldt Community Animal Shelter Board unanimously agreed to terminate its relationship with Hansen Monday night. This photo was taken in November 2018. Humboldt Independent file photo.

By KENT THOMPSON
Eleven of the 13-member Humboldt Community Animal Shelter Board met Monday evening with a hard decision to make.
Whether to try to continue with Merri Hansen as the shelter director, or to move forward without her involvement.
There was much controversy surrounding Hansen and the animal shelter after an article in the Fort Dodge Messenger last week and numerous social media posts, some attacking volunteer members of the non-profit board personally.
Particularly unflattering attacks were reserved for Humboldt City Administrator Travis Goedken and Humboldt County District 5 Supervisor Dave Lee of Dakota City.
“As president, we set up this board to try to work with people in the community to get a shelter for animals. I hope this is just a bump in the road [to that end] and not a personal attack of individuals,” said Michelle Erickson of rural Hardy, who operates 4 Paws Inn, an animal boarding and grooming business.
“All I have heard since the article and the Facebook posts is that the board is not helping and the city is not helping and that we are trying to stop getting a shelter built,” Goedken said.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said.
After many questions and much discussion on the matter the Board agreed to sever its relationship with Hansen, effective immediately.
Read the full story in this week's Humboldt Independent. Subscribe to the paper, either print or digital editions, by clicking on the link at the top of this page.

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