ARF's Forever Home in Wainscott Is Nearly Complete

It’s a project more than 10 years in the making, and it’s finally coming to fruition.

Members of the media were given a special tour on Saturday of the nearly completed renovated and expanded “Forever Home” facility at the headquarters of the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons in Wainscott. A formal dedication and grand reopening, which will be open to the public, is set for May 27.

What originally began in 2012 as a project to reconfigure the lobby and catteries, and create an indoor, year-round training facility for dogs, expanded over time. Architect Richard Bacon, who was hired at the start of the project, was asked in 2015 to convert the basement of ARF’s medical building into a space that could serve both as an intake facility for rescued animals and an emergency evacuation shelter for pets in the broader community.

ARF also renovated the first floor of the medical building, with upgraded facilities for surgery and X-rays, and isolation rooms, specifically for cats. HVAC systems upgrades were part of the effort to create a healthier environment for animals and humans alike.

In 2020, a gift from longtime supporter Richard Wells McCabe was the catalyst that allowed ARF to launch its “Forever Home” fundraising campaign, which was ultimately responsible for funding the organization’s rebuild of kennels, the creation of a fully revamped lobby, puppy rooms, the catteries and offices, as well as the year-round training center.

The new lobby, a spacious and light-filled area, has been renamed “The Richard Wells McCabe Welcome Center,” and will give prospective adopters a welcoming space in which to greet and become acquainted with dogs or cats they are considering making part of their families.

The new 7,000-square-foot kennel features 36 individual kennels made with high-quality, durable materials, as well as sound-dampening insulation, and private rooms for dogs with special needs.

One of the features of the renovation is the William P. Rayner Training Center, named after a former ARF board chairman whose wife, Katharine Rayner, is the current board president. The 8,400-square-foot indoor training center will allow for year-round training, socialization and enrichment both for dogs up for adoption, and dogs that have been adopted and need follow-up obedience training.

In addition to Bacon, who was the lead architect for the renovation, the project was worked on by several local contractors, including J. Petrocelli Contracting, which served as general contractor. Also involved were Michael Tagliavia of Fifth and Dune Partners LLC; GEC Contracting Inc.; D.B. Bennett Engineering; Marine Bulkheading MBI; P&W Electric; Medley Air Inc.; Marders; Bunlin LLC; Pipemasters Plumbing and Heating; Patrick J. Bistrian Jr.; Torino Industrial Fabrication Inc.; Karin Hoeg Esq.; and the law firm of Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin and Quartararo, LLP.

The last several years were not an easy time to be in the middle of a large-scale construction project, but ARF Executive Director Scott Howe said that, fortunately, the organization was far enough ahead in its preconstruction planning that it avoided the worst slowdowns and price hikes related to the after effects of the pandemic and inflation.

“We’re really fortunate that after 19 months, we’ll be ready to move the animals into their new homes,” he said, adding that it is particularly poignant to be celebrating the new chapter in ARF’s history as it is on the cusp of celebrating its 50 year anniversary in 2024.

“These buildings are going to prepare ARF for the next generation and more,” Howe added. “It’s been incredible to see the support from the community and the board of directors who have made this possible.”

Howe said that community spirit was evident even from the contractors and workers who came to the job every day, month after month.

“Everyone who worked on the project, from the electricians to the plumbers, being here every day with the staff and the animals, they really understood what it was for,” he said. “It was not just a regular commercial job or another job out in the Hamptons. This was something they could all identify with. Everybody wanted to do it for the animals.”

Some of them even ended up becoming a forever home for certain animals while working on the Forever Home — one of the workers for Bistrian and an accountant who works for J. Petrocelli ended up adopting animals during the construction period.

In addition to expressing his gratitude for the contractors and workers who built the facility, Howe also recognized the important contributions of key benefactors McCabe and Rayner. He spoke about how vital the training center will be for pets and owners.

“ARF’s training programs were a huge help to me when I first adopted,” Howe said. “Now we have a place where we can do that training year round, in all seasons, and in the evenings. It’s going to be such a happy place for people and their dogs.”

One of the most rewarding moments of the tour on Saturday for Howe was showing McCabe around the new facility, and the entrance area and lobby that bears his name. McCabe, who is in his 90s, provided the gift that kickstarted the whole fundraising effort.

“I got to welcome him into that space, and he got to see all that,” Howe said. “He was just beaming.”

Howe is clearly feeling the love, and he’s certain that everyone who walks through the doors from now on will feel it too.

“Adopters are going to walk in and feel welcome,” he said. “The buildings now look like the care we give — they reflect all the love and care that goes into our animals.”