The former headquarters for Uncle Henry’s at 525 Eastern Ave. in Augusta is the proposed site of a new urgent care veterinarian’s office. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA — In 2022 one of Gina LoMonaco’s three St. Bernard mixes, Wallace, slipped out a side door of her home and was struck by a passing vehicle, severely injuring him.

The regular veterinary clinics in the area had closed for the night, so she loaded Wallace into her vehicle for the 45-minute drive to the closest animal emergency clinic or other veterinarian service open after hours, in Lewiston.

Between 10 and 15 minutes before they got there, Wallace died in her vehicle.

LoMonaco told the Augusta Planning Board on Tuesday that veterinarian Jennifer Mirecki’s plans to open Atlas Veterinary Urgent Care in the former Uncle Henry’s building at 525 Eastern Ave. give her hope that should something happen to one of Wallace’s two remaining siblings, help will be closer at hand.

“Knowing an urgent care is (going to be) within minutes of my home, to know that’s right around the corner, I can tell you that fills my heart with hope, that if anything happens to my animals, I don’t have to worry about driving them 45 minutes and hope they make it,” an emotional LoMonaco said.

Mirecki, an Augusta resident and practicing veterinarian at Midcoast Animal Emergency Clinic in Warren, said she decided to open the urgent care veterinarian clinic after hearing from pet owners who said such a service has been of great need in the Augusta area for many years.

“It’s a constant need, brought up to me whenever I go anywhere here,” said Mirecki, a veterinarian for 11 years. “My intention here is to provide a service that’s needed in the community, and it seems like it has been needed for a while. I’m trying to realize a dream here, and become part of the community.”

Multiple Planning Board members said when regular veterinarians weren’t open in Augusta they have taken long drives with their pets  to animal emergency clinics like the Animal Emergency Clinic of Mid Maine in Lewiston or clinics in the Portland area. They said they understood how painful a trip that can be and agreed the new service is needed.

Board members approved a special exception under the city’s zoning rules to allow the clinic to open in the former Uncle Henry’s swap it and sell it guide’s offices, with few exterior changes planned to the Eastern Avenue building that sits in a primarily residential area.

“I’ve been to Lewiston multiple times, so I know it’s a long drive,” board member Mandy Massey said. “This is very much needed in this area and I’m very excited for this to come.”

The urgent veterinary care business will not be open 24 hours, like some overnight emergency veterinary clinics; plans call for it to close at 8 p.m. initially. Mirecki said in application materials filed with the city the urgent care may extend its hours to 10 p.m., but it wouldn’t be open later than that, or before 8 a.m. to minimize any impact on the surrounding residential area.

The business’ initial operating hours, according to application materials, will be Monday to Friday from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Mirecki said her customers will likely include tourists and others in the area without an established veterinarian, as well as pet owners whose pets have medical problems after regular vets are closed, in the evening or on Sundays. It will offer same-day care, for both appointments and walk-ins.

She said an animal urgent care facility is the animal equivalent to urgent care for people provided by businesses such as Concentra or ConvenientMD.

It would offer diagnostic imaging, in-house laboratory testing, outpatient treatment, surgical procedures and stabilization for critical patients before transfer to an emergency hospital. It would not offer overnight hospitalization.

Jeff Belanger, a neighbor to the site, said he changed his opinion about the proposal at Tuesday’s meeting, and spoke in favor of it after hearing others speak of the need for it. He encouraged the business to retain the old Uncle Henry’s sign, which had a digital display of the time and temperature on it, versus adding a large, gaudy sign for the new business.