Grand Strand Humane Society looking for new location after rats damage building

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - The Grand Strand Humane Society is officially looking for a new permanent location after a rat infestation caused them to move to a temporary location this summer.

“The pest problem was much worse than we expected,” said the spokesperson for the city of Myrtle Beach, Mark Kruea.

Kruea said it cost $30,000 just for pest control crews to remove the rodents from the building, but the repairs to fix the damage they caused, would cost more than they expected.

“The damage from the animals, the rats, was much worse than we expected and it would require a lot more renovation and reconstruction,” he said.

To fix all the damage, Kruea said the cost would have been around $500,000 since they’d need brand new floors, new ceilings, new walls and a new HVAC system.

“We want to build something that allows for future growth. We want to build for the next 50 years and something that the community can be proud of. A welcoming community center where people will want to go,” said Jessica Wnuk, the executive director for the Grand Strand Humane Society.

For their new building, Wnuk said it needs to be bigger than the space they have been in, to keep up with growth.

“We’re definitely going to have to build bigger than our current facility because of the growth in Myrtle Beach. We just have so many animals pouring through our doors, we simply don’t have space for them,” she said.

The city said they don’t have an official timeline just yet for when they need a new building but they’re looking now and want to move as soon as possible.

If you have a suggestion for a space for the humane society to move into, the city wants you to contact Brian Tucker at btucker@cityofmyrtlebeach.com or 843-918-1126.

If you’d like to foster an animal, information on how to reach out to the Grand Strand Humane Society can be found here.

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