Repair bill for shelter damaged by van is $460,000

DAMAGE TO THE entrance of the Wisconsin Humane Society Ozaukee Campus in Saukville caused by a driver of a van who rammed the building in November is patched up, but only temporarily. Repairing the damage will take three months and cost an estimated $460,000. Photo by Sam Arendt
The hole left by a Chevy Astro van that rammed into the Saukville Wisconsin Humane Society building in November is patched over, but $460,000 in repairs need to be made, Angela Speed, vice president of marketing and communications for the society said Tuesday.
The work that starts next month is expected to take three months and will require “just about every trade you could imagine,” Speed said, including carpentry, masonry, plumbing, electrical and structural work.
“From the roof to the floor there is extensive damage,” she said.
The Humane Society’s insurance will cover the cost of repairs, so the organization should only be responsible for deductibles and incidental costs, Speed said.
The van destroyed one of the three poles that support the building’s overhang and caused extensive damage to the entrance, which Speed said the organization hopes to begin using again before the busy spring season.
The Humane Society has been able to maintain services and host clinics despite the damage by routing visitors through side entrances.
“It is working but it’s not ideal,” Speed said. “Fortunately, we didn’t have to close services at all.
“If the pandemic taught us anything, it taught us to be flexible and nimble in tough situations.”
Speed said the crash was “freakish.” The driver of the van, Daniel Richards of Iron River, Mich., had to drive down a grass hill and through a long stretch of parking lot before reaching the shelter, missing obstacles like trees, poles, a ditch and a granite sign.
The van narrowly avoided hitting the cat lodge. No animals or people were injured.
Richards was charged last month in Ozaukee County Circuit Court with criminal damage to property, possession of narcotic drugs and second and subsequent possession of marijuana, all felonies.
According to a criminal complaint, he told the responding Saukville police officer that he was suffering from severe fentanyl withdrawal and wanted to kill himself when he drove into the building.
Richards is being held in the Ozaukee County jail in lieu of $15,000 bail.
“As the details were revealed about the circumstances, it’s a really sad situation,” Speed said. “But, the silver lining remains, no people or animals were hurt.”
The repairs will be completed by construction contractor Gilbane that built the Society’s Racine location, Speed said. Gilbane sent tradesmen to assess the damage and begin preliminary work at the Saukville location hours after the crash.
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