Animal Care and Control is getting a new $48M facility with needed air-conditioned kennels
Palm Beach County’s overcrowded Animal Care and Control Facility will soon get a $48 million facelift that will more than double its size and include air-conditioned kennels.
Karen Lambert, a volunteer at the facility, called for approval of the project during a county commission workshop on Feb. 27, saying it will “allow us to provide the care the innocent animals deserve.”
Volunteers have said that some people looking to adopt a dog walk out when they see how the dogs are currently housed.
Commissioner Gregg Weiss called the current location ideal, noting that it is centrally located. Weiss and other commissioners were concerned that looking for a new location could cause a delay.
County Mayor Maria Sachs called on her colleagues to explore the possibility of building a new facility using the current design in a more agricultural area that would be better suited for animals. The current 14-acre site is on Belvedere Road west of Florida's Turnpike. But the proposal received little support.
“The conditions out there are terrible,” Weiss said. “We need to move forward now. It is unconscionable to allow these animals to continue to suffer.”
The capital improvement project, along with several others, have been delayed by increased costs.
In the case of the animal care facility, the initial 2007 cost estimate was $12 million. The recession forced the project to be shelved. In 2016, it was revived with a new cost of $21 million. But supply-chain issues and inflationary pressures resulted in a new estimate of $48 million, a figure that does include air conditioning. Initially, there were no plans to do that.
To reduce costs, an option to build a 99,287 square-foot facility was rejected in favor of an 87,139 square-foot building. The larger building would have resulted in enough kennel space to avoid placing two dogs in one cage.
At issue is how to pay for the project since its cost is so much higher than what was budgeted. County finance officials say it is possible that bonds may need to be sold.
Even with the expenditure of $48 million, Sachs noted that, according to consultants, the renovated facility will still not meet industry standards because some dogs are expected to share cages. Stephanie Sejnoha, the county's director of public safety, said reducing the scope of the project resulted in the elimination of a kennel. She said she would expect co-sharing to occur only in emergencies.
An 'emergency situation': Why Palm Beach Animal Control is forced to euthanize so many dogs
Sejnoha noted that new plans are being developed to work with the community to lower the amount of dogs coming in and to increase the amount of adoptions to lower the dog population. As of Feb. 26, 169 dogs were housed at the site, which was designed to accommodate 148 dogs. At times, dogs, unable to be adopted, have had to be euthanized.
The existing shelter opened in 1992. Two new kennels will be added and three existing ones will be renovated. Administrative offices will be moved to a new second floor, freeing up space on the first floor for animal care.
As for the existing facility, a consultant found the following shortcomings:
A lack of isolation areas for sick animals.
Inadequate space for veterinary services.
No dedicated space for public spay and neuter services.
No separation between intake and adoptions.
Too many dogs housed in a single space.
Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year. It may take two years to complete the work.
Calling all animal lovers: Check out The Palm Beach Post's pets of the week for Feb. 26!
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control getting new facility
