In the last City Council meeting Councilman Larry Miller asked for an Animal Shelter update. There is not one on the agenda. However, City Council will consider a recommendation to fund Animal Shelter improvements via a $2 million bond. The meeting background packet states:
Animal Shelter Improvements:
Animal shelter improvements are described below and are estimated to cost $1,642,000. Staff recommends the project be funded in its entirety as phasing it in overtime would almost certainly yield complete system failures, making the facility unusable. Continuing mandatory operations without this facility is not possible.
Improvements to animal service shelters are necessary to maintain and continue mandated operations. Last completed in 1999, significant facility repairs are needed to keep offering programs and services – many of which are mandated operations – at the Animal Services shelter.
The Animal Services Division is solely responsible for preventing the spread of disease from animals to humans in our community. For a facility that is occupied round the clock, major system failures have exceeded the maintenance level and now require a capital investment.
The following items must be implemented across the facility to meet standards:
1. Overhaul HVAC system installed including venting, air handling units and compressors.
2. New ventilation system to exhaust air outside.
3. Redesign lighting system.
4. Replace ceiling tiles throughout.
5.Improve door security through corridors.General population kennels comprise more than 3,000 square feet of the facility and do not serve us well. A complete rehabilitation of this room would provide a much-improved customer experience. Such improvements include:
1. Install dropped ceiling.
2. Assemble new plastic kennels and doors.
3. Raise kennel floors with trench drains.We also plan to reconfigure the tame cat room to expand the lobby to appropriate proportions. Finally, refurbishing the exam and canine intake rooms was previously funded and will be completed with these other improvements.
Hopefully someone will ask what the total costs are for the shelter renovation project, the $1.6 million plus previously budgeted capital items?
The current operating budget has $1,000 for capital (technology). The latest Capital Improvement Plan shows $345,000 for Animal Shelter Rehabilitation. Together they fall far short of the $2 million requested.
Renovating the existing building will likely require reducing shelter capacity even further. New construction would enable the shelter to utilize current space while adding better kennel space.
The other odd thing is the $2 million note is short term and would be paid off by the end of the fiscal year. The city has plenty of cash in its general fund. Why pay placement fees and interest expense for a bond that runs a few months?
The last oddity is this item was not on the agenda for the Animal Shelter Advisory Committee meeting that was scheduled for earlier today.
I expect Council would want an operations update prior to throwing $2 million at the Animal Shelter. Also, what is the strategic plan for the shelter going forward? Is it the operations plan put forward by City Manager Daniel Valenzuela after his assessment or Pets Alive priorities which got our city into third world levels of loose animals?
Concho Valley PAWS spay/neuter vouchers got more expensive this month after a two month absence. Also, City Council is yet to hear an update on the City Attorney's office issuance of citations to shelter adopters yet to spay/neuter their pet as required by city ordinance over the last two years.
This discussion around this agenda item will reveal much.
Update 2-21-23: There was remarkably little discussion for this item which council unanimously approved. Several Council members and Shelter Chief Morgan Chegwidden noted that the nearly $2 million will simply bring aspects of the current building into a more functional state. During the renovation the shelter will need to have the current kennel space completely emptied for roughly six months.
Council missed yet another opportunity to do the most basic strategic planning for animal services, after passing on that in the last budget cycle.
Update 2-22-23: The ASAC meeting did not occur as the committee failed to reach a quorum. Hopefully, the ASAC will hold their first meeting of 2023 on April 20, 2023.
Update 2-26-23: Concho Valley Homepage did a story suggesting the city had done no improvements to the Animal Shelter since 1999. Of course the city has made some facility changes over the last two decades. Concho Valley Homepage ran such a story in 2015. It stated:
Among the improvements slated for the shelter, 3142 U.S. Highway 67 North, are the remodeling of a conference room into a new and more customer-friendly adoption center, the installation of a kiosk for viewing lost and adoptable animals, a thorough cleaning and application of insecticides on the shelter’s grounds, upgrades to the socialization areas for animals and potential adopters, and the addition of doors, locks, gates and security cameras to better control access internally and externally.
Animal Shelter Chief Morgan Chegwidden is the former Budget Manager for the City. It would've been more accurate to state the city has done "no significant improvements." The story did note how the shelter once again plans to limit citizen access during the renovation period. I'll wager it takes longer than the "four to six months" cited by city officials.
Update 9-27-23: The City's Capital Improvement Plan has a 4-30-24 completion date for Animal Shelter renovations. The project is yet to be bid on the city's purchasing website.
Update 2-8-24: So much for that urgent need for facility updates, now nearly a year old. City Council's January 16, 2024 background packet states:
Although originally planned to proceed in November 2023, complex engineering needs prompted a new timeline to break ground this summer.Summer 2024, at least a year late.
....the bid phase is delayed to May 2024 with estimated construction completion in November 2024.
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