Board to Review Animal Shelter Project After Two Cities Withdraw
Author: Administrative Office
Date: 10/31/2017 1:00 PM
The County Board of Supervisors will review the animal shelter project on Nov. 7 on the heels of the news that the cities of Atascadero and Paso Robles have backed out of the once regional project.
Both Atascadero and Paso Robles announced yesterday that they have withdrawn from the countywide multi-agency agreement to build a new animal shelter to replace the run-down shelter currently used for animal services in all local jurisdictions.
The County Board of Supervisors will review the animal shelter project on Nov. 7.
“It’s a shame the two cities are withdrawing from a regional approach to providing animal services to the public,” said Assistant County Administrative Officer Guy Savage. “It’s especially disappointing since they signed the project agreement earlier this year after three years of discussions."
Current industry standards and public expectations of animal shelters have shifted substantially and many of the current shelter’s original design features and characteristics are now outdated or inconsistent with the current understanding of humane animal sheltering. The Board approved the agreement with the cities in February 2017.
The new shelter construction is estimated to cost $13.7 million, which includes expenses for soft costs, such as architectural and engineering services; County costs for administration, project management service, environmental review, planning and building fees, and inspections; and hard costs, such as actual construction costs. The cities agreed to pay for a portion of the construction costs. There is an additional $1.1 million of potential costs related to demolition and remaining depreciation of existing facility, which would have been paid for by County funds.
A steering committee was formed to direct the project and includes County representatives as well as city representatives from Atascadero, Grover Beach, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo as project participants.
The County currently provides regional animal services for all local jurisdictions through separate contracts. Each contract for animal services and shelter operations expires in June 2019.
