A portable classroom building once destined for demolition is getting – and giving – a second chance. Formerly located on the Ceres Unified School District’s Argus and Endeavor campus, the portable has a new home with City of Oakdale Animal Services, where it will temporarily house adoptable animals awaiting their forever homes.
The building was one of several aging portables being replaced with permanent classrooms on CUSD campuses using Measure Y bond funds. No longer serviceable for students and with minimal resale value due to the cost of relocation, it was set to be demolished.
That changed with a phone call from Oakdale Police Lt. Gary Vanderheiden, who oversees city of Oakdale Animal Services. When Vanderheiden learned that Ceres Unified had a portable building it no longer needed, he saw an opportunity to expand shelter capacity and reconfigure spaces to better suit animals and prospective adopters.
Under California law, the district could not donate the building but could sell it below market value to another public agency if the sale provided a public benefit or met a community need.
Oakdale purchased the portable for $1 and transported it earlier this month to a new home and a fresh start – clearing the way for CUSD to begin construction at Argus and Endeavor.
“This will double our shelter footprint,” said Vanderheiden, who envisions using the additional space for the shelter’s cats. Currently, all animals and operational spaces are housed under one roof, and visitors who wish to interact with adoptable cats have limited options.
“We would love to have a visiting area and a cat room where people can meet and play with healthy cats,” Vanderheiden said, noting that the extra space may also help curtail virus outbreaks as shelter staff can separate healthy cats from those with signs of illness.
He estimates the new space will welcome its first feline residents by September, after the portable is updated with hard flooring and configured for its new role.
“We were excited to partner with the city of Oakdale to give the building a second life,” said Dr. Kristi Britton, CUSD Assistant Superintendent of Business Services. “Avoiding demolition costs while helping animals and the families who may eventually adopt them is a satisfying outcome and a great example of agencies working together to maximize public resources.”
