After 10 years of patiently waiting to open up her new state-of-the-art Golden Oaks Kennel for dogs, Metamora resident Martha Grylls is ready to move forward after getting the OK from the Addison Township Board of Trustees Monday night.
The board approved the final site plan for the new 7,372 square-foot kennel, located at 1895 Lakeville Rd., between Lake George and Curtis roads.
Offering boarding for up to 80 dogs, a day care, grooming facility and even a special room for cats, the Golden Oaks Kennel has been a longtime coming for Grylls.
She and her business partner, Stephanie Sommerville, also of Metamora, have owned Golden Oaks Grooming in Lake Orion since 1985 and had been running the Oxford Oaks Kennel off of E. Drahner Rd. for six years until this past September.
Grylls said she and Sommerville had to move out of the building due to a severe black mold infestation which aggravated Grylls? chronic lung problems.
Her illness, coupled with re-zoning issues and the ‘tedious process? of building the facility have slowed the project down, but she’s excited to get things moving again.
‘If I had known back then everything I was going to go through, I might not have been able to do it,? Grylls said. ‘In the end, it’ll be worth it.?
The new facility will have many benefits the older facility on Drahner didn’t, like easier access from the main road and even have sound-proof exterior dog runs, so as not to disturb the neighbors along the 10.04 acre lot.
It’s also energy efficient. If enrollment is low, Grylls can shut off a section of the kennel, saving electricity and heat.
‘It’s going to be very new and very nice,? she said.
Grylls said she hopes Golden Oaks Kennel will be open by Easter, and she hopes all of her canine and feline friends will follow her.
‘It’s funny how attached you can get to the clients and their animals,? she said.