MAARS moves in
By Ian Hanson
Local bird shelter Midwest Avian Adoption and Rescue Services (MAARS) has moved into a new location in St. Louis Park.
Founded in July 1999, MAARS is dedicated to educating the general public and bird owners on proper captive bird care. Their hope is that through increased education and awareness, they can decrease the number of birds that come through their doors. Lately that education has focused on the link between wildlife and pet trades, an issue centered on captive birds.
Dale Rueber, a shift manager and MAARS’ resident contractor/handyman, said the move was long past due. Renting a retail space in St. Louis Park was never part of the long term plan.
“We’d been there ten years and wanted to move within two,” said Rueber. “This new building is an investment in the future of MAARS.”
When MAARS began to seriously consider moving, Twin Cities property values were at their peak. With the recent economic downswing and current mortgage crisis, expensive properties were within their reach. After looking at everything from squats to old theaters, MAARS settled on the new three-level location.
The old St. Louis Park location was an old storefront, with limited space and limited natural light. In addition to the benefit that the organization now owns their building, the space is significantly larger and more suited to the needs of the birds and people alike.
“We closed on the new building on the 20th of January and needed to be out of our old location by the 31st,” said Rueber. With a little over a week to move, Dale and the rest of the MAARS volunteers had to put in long hours repairing and customizing the new space. The new building had to be emptied of the previous tenant’s trash, new carpet needed to be lain, water and heating issues need to be resolved and dividing walls needed to be built.
“The prep work was enormous,” said Rueber.
Moving hundreds of caged birds is a difficult prospect under the best circumstances, but add in a moving deadline of Jan. 31 to the mix and you have a recipe for cold complication. Regardless, Rueber said the volunteers and the birds handled the situation successfully.
“We had a good bunch of people helping on both ends. Everyone [volunteers and birds] handled the move without a hitch,” said Rueber.
Another helpful element of the move was the new neighborhood’s reaction to MAARS. Local property owners have taken the time to introduce themselves and welcome the non-profit to the area. Volunteer Director Jamie McCarthy said that MAARS has been thrilled with the reception they’ve received by their neighbors and the city of St. Paul.
Moving difficulties notwithstanding, MAARS continues to successfully match birds with loving, capable and well-educated homes. Since its inception, over 1,400 birds have come through their doors and of those, over 1,000 have been placed.
If you would like to learn more about MAARS, its tenants or volunteering opportunities you can visit their Web site at www.maars.org.