There's no place like home.

That's true, even if "home" comes with no heating or air conditioning and a long list of needed repairs.

Peaceable Kindgom, a no-kill animal shelter located in Whitehall, has arranged to purchase the building which it has leased since 2005.

"As chairman of the board, I didn't want to be responsible for shutting the shelter down," said vounteer Kathy Tomecek of Catasauqua.

The PK building, located on the 1000 block of MacArthur Road in Whitehall, has been up for sale for several years. However, the nonprofit could not afford the $1 million asking price. When the landlord finally did get an offer, she approached PK to offer them a chance to buy it.

Peaceable Kingdom, however, was preapproved for a mortgage of only $350,000.

And therein lies the rub.

Fortunately, however, this time the shelter and building owner were able to come to mutually agreeable terms. For one thing, the landlord was willing to subdivide the property. This allows Armando's Pizza, located next door, to purchase its portion of the building, located in the southern portion of the township.

As a result, PK has to come up with only $750,000.

That still doesn't make the numbers match. However, the landlord is offering PK a five-year period in which to come up with enough cash to pay down the balance to an affordable level.

Oh, but there's another catch.

"Nothing's been done to this building the whole time we've leased," said Tomecek, adding all the copper tubing for the air conditioning system had been stolen.

"We just spent $20,000 to get new air conditioners ... and two new heaters," she said. "The next thing we have to do is something with the floor and something with the celings."

PK accountant Curt Adams, of Fogelsville, recommends raising $475,000 over the next five years in order to make needed improvements and pay down the balance of the purchase price.

"He thought we could do what we need to do if we could raise that money," said Tomecek. "He's an optimist."

Peaceable Kingdom did look elsewhere for a new location. The problem, Tomecek said, was not price, but rather zoning.

The group found potentially suitable locations in several communities including Catasauqua, Northampton, Bethlehem and South Whitehall. But, Tomecek said, no one wanted an animal shelter.

"We would have been tied up for a year just to get a variance," she said.

PK has formed a separate fundraising committee. Members will start with a mailing to previous donors, asking for support. The next move has yet to be planned, said Tomecek.

In addition to monetary donations, Peaceable Kindgom is looking for people willing and able to donate their time and skills doing building maintenance and repair work. Because the biggest expense of any renovation project is labor, the group hopes one or more skilled people will step forward to help the group lower the costs of its project.

"If we can't make it work, we have to close the door," said Tomecek. "It's not something any of us want to do."

For more information on Peaceable Kingdom or to donate, visit www.lvpeaceablekingdom.info/.