WINNEMUCCA - The plans for a new city/county animal shelter are in the final stages of drafting, and Winnemucca Police Capt. Bill Dalley said he hopes to have the initial presentation ready to go soon.
Dalley, who has a background in construction, took on the task rather than having the city hire an outside architect, which would subtract from the funds budgeted for the new building.
Last year, city council set an $80,000 budget for expansion of the existing animal shelter, but upped that number at its budget hearing in April in order to build a whole new facility, rather than add on to the current facility. The total budget for the new facility is $190,000.
"It was decided that adding an expansion would be like putting a Band-Aid on the problem," Dalley said.
The new facility, according to Dalley's plans, will be a steel building and have 4,000 under-the-roof square feet and house 33 kennels - almost double the current shelter's total of 17 kennels. Each kennel will have access to an outdoor area through a door, Dalley said.
Not only will the building have more kennels, it will also provide more usable space for employees and shelter visitors. A reception area is included in the plan, as well as a visitation room for potential adopters to meet with dogs. The facility will have a designated handicap restroom and a restroom just for employees.
Unlike the existing structure, the new facility will keep outside visitors from directly accessing dogs in outdoor kennels with a walkway. Dalley said visitors will be able to see the dogs, but not touch them, as they are able to do now.
City Manager/Engineer Steve West said the building will also be better insulated, making for lower utility costs. He said that the new building will provide easier access to kennels for cleaning and will feature a fenced-off area for animal control officers to unload dogs.
The proposed site for the new facility is the Sage Heights Public Works yard, just a few hundred feet below the current facility. West said it's still up in the air what the new use for the old animal shelter will be, but it will most likely be utilized by the Public Works Department for storage purposes.
Dalley said that, as of now, he does not know of any plans to incorporate a cat shelter into the facility. As for the larger shelter decreasing the need for euthanasia, he couldn't say for sure, but did say that the police chief is against putting dogs down if it isn't necessary.
The plans for the project are expected to go out to bid this summer, but there are still some details that need to be worked out.
Dalley said that even though the plans are nearing completion, some aspects of the plumbing system still have to be worked out in order to accommodate for the wash-down cleaning facilities that the building will feature.[[In-content Ad]]
