The Edgartown animal shelter scheduled to close May 1 will be available for a future Vineyard animal home, the head of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) announced during a visit to the Island Wednesday.

At the same time, MSPCA president and chief executive Carter Luke elaborated on costs for the Vineyard shelter, which the MSPCA says has run a six-figure loss for at least five years, presenting a daunting financial prospect for any locally-run alternative.

Mr. Luke, who was accompanied by director of animal care and adoption centers Jean Weber, spoke about the decision to close three of the organization’s seven shelters in the wake of a $11.5 million loss in endowment money last year, to a group of animal control officers and veterinarians at the Dukes County building.

Also at the meeting were Vineyard MSCPA shelter director Ronald Whitney, Dukes County manager Russell Smith, county executive assistant Martina Thornton and Oak Bluffs selectman Kerry Scott.

The meeting ended a six-week silence from the CEO, and from the organization on the future of the building.

“I never in a million years thought I’d be president of the MSCPA during such a massive economic meltdown,” he said. “We’ve been severely impacted by the world. We made extremely painful decisions. I’m a shelter person. So is Jean. It’s not a simple thing, and it’s a statement of the severity of the crisis.”

He said the agency was keen to support an alternative local venture in any way it could, including by making the shelter available.

“We’re not looking to make any money, not looking to sell it,” he said. “Buildings will not be an obstacle, we’re not looking to make any money — in our minds we never have been. And we’re not taking away cages or anything.”

In response, Ms. Scott led the room in a round of applause.

Also this week, some further clarity was obtained about the running costs of the charity.

Though the shelter has been managed by one full-time staff for a time during 2009, historically it has been run using three full-time employees, handling animal care and fund-raising projects, said agency spokesmen Brian Adams yesterday.

Mr. Adams confirmed that two full-time employees left the shelter in 2009, before Mr. Luke announced the closure of the shelter at the beginning of February. He would not confirm the dates, arguing that it would violate employee privacy.

Mr. Adams also would not comment on reasons behind the two staff departures but said the two events — the closure and the loss of staff — were not connected.

Without elaborating he also said that some of the financial numbers relating to the shelter released in recent weeks refer to just one full-time employee.

However, the 2008 figures refer to three full-time positions, he added.

“How many people does it take to run the shelter? A lot,” he said.

The shelter is on land donated in 1947 by Island resident and animal advocate Katharine M. Foote. A property at the front of the site, which is off the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, houses the Vineyard Veterinary Clinic which pays rent to the MSCPA. According to Mr. Adams, this annual rent is channeled back to the Boston general fund of the MSPCA.

A third, residential, property on the same lot, previously has been rented but has been vacant for several years. Mr. Luke said there are no set plans for the building but that a previous renter now interested in buying the property has made an offer.

Mr. Luke said the Vineyard shelter operated at a $135,000 loss in 2008.

An average $250,000 annual expenses for the shelter did not including administrative costs such as human resources, which are paid for centrally, he added.

An Island organization would have costs including utilities and property insurance for the 2,400-square foot building with high gabled ceilings.

Among the operating expenses for the shelter, according to Mr. Luke, in 2008: $6,431 for the oil heating; $5,200 for electricity; $3,200 for property insurance bought as part of a MSPCA statewide insurance package; and $670 for water and sewering,

Mr. Luke said it was too early to discuss terms of a possible lease, but said he could virtually guarantee that it would not be limited to a few years. The organization would use discretion on who the space could go to, he added.

He argued that a Vineyard operation might have more luck at fund-raising than the MSPCA.

“We’re perceived as a Boston organization, but with a locally operated [shelter], you’ll be surprised how many more get involved,” he said.

But speaking to the Gazette this week county manager Russell Smith said the shelter deficit is a worry.

“Do I see this as a viable operation? No,” he said. “They lost $135,000 last year. Are we going to sharpen the pencil that much? What do you think?”

He said there is a clear need for the organization, and the county has a responsibility to do what it can to look after Island animals.

Veterinarian Michelle Gerhard Jasny argued that the organization should have a leader. “This is a big project and it involves someone knowledgeable. Running the shelter by committee could cause problems,” she said.

Dr. Jasny said establishing an ongoing cremation service was critical. “What do we do on May 2? I’ll have physical bodies in my office. Everything else, there’s lots of time to work on,” she said.

Branch director Mr. Whitney said the 35-year-old crematorium on the MSPCA property requires approximately $10,000 in maintenance each year and a staff member to operate it. The service brings in between $25,000 and $30,000.

He added that a possible solution could be to outsource to an off-Island crematorium, an option which might be less expensive, he said.  

Ms. Scott was a vocal supporter of the MSCPA at the meeting.

“I don’t feel deserted by the MSPCA. I consider you the mother ship and don’t want any harm to come to your reputation,” she said.

However, she argues that an Island-run shelter should part with the state charity on euthanasia policy.

“It’s essential that it’s a no-kill shelter,” Ms. Scott told the Gazette this week. She argued that grants are available specifically for shelters that do not euthanize and that donations are much more common to such organizations. She also feels a shelter does not need paid staff. Though Mr. Luke said he felt it essential that an organization retain some paid employees, Ms. Scott was not convinced.

“Don’t forget Carter Luke has a professional and personal obligation to the people he left behind. He feels responsible,” she said.

Ms. Scott arranged a meeting with members of the Falmouth shelter charity Friends of Falmouth Dogs and a Falmouth animal control officer, scheduled for 11 a.m. today at the Dukes County building.

Ms. Scott has argued for a similar volunteer organization run in conjunction with the government-paid animal control officers.

“It’s an extraordinary collaboration between staff and volunteers,” she said. “The aim would be to fill the MSPCA shoes and go a little bit further, to become a truly no-kill shelter.”

Representatives of animal control offices of the six Island towns, in the process of forming a shelter committee, have met several times to discuss options.

The committee will include two representatives from each town, selectmen, animal control officers, a Dukes County representative and veterinarians.

Most towns have made their appointments and the group plans to present options to the all-Island selectmen at a meeting scheduled for March 23.