By Heather Patrice Brown, Development Coordinator

Our hospital building was a carport used for storage before being converted into the ICU, one of many changes to CWC since 1998.
Photo circa 2004.

In December of 2016, California Wildlife Center finally bid farewell to its 64 year-old electrical panel.  This change had been a long-time coming.

The main building was originally constructed in 1952 as a private  home and later became a ranger station.  In 1998, California State Parks granted CWC the right to use the building and land surrounding it. CWC grew as more animals needed care, adding three temporary buildings and turning the car port into what is now the Intensive Care Unit.  Along with the addition of buildings were more incubators, refrigerators, an X-ray machine, and countless other appliances and machines required for providing state-of-the-art veterinary care to our patients.  The electrical system, designed to power a single-family home, was simply not up to the task.

After receiving permission from the California Department of Parks and Recreation to make the required upgrades, and funding for the project, including a generous grant from the S. Mark Taper Foundation, work began on December 12^th.

The timing of the project was key.  We knew the electrical would have to be down for a period of time, so December was chosen because it is traditionally the month with the least patients.  Generators were used to keep key components running while the rest of CWC was in the dark.

The work was completed quickly and efficiently and soon CWC had new main and sub-electrical panels, repaired outlets, new outlets, and a new underground irrigation box.  The electrical system is up to code for a wildlife hospital and CWC will be able to continue to provide optimum care for our patients for years to come.