Here's what the county's new animal services facility in Robstown could look like
County residents got a glimpse of what their new animal services facility could look like.
The Nueces County Commissioners Court on Wednesday voted to allocate the remaining funds needed to complete the project after hearing from the program manager and architectural firm for the facility.
The current facility is located at 4540 Farm-to-Market Road 892 in Robstown, near Precinct 2 commissioner John Marez's office. The facility is "decades old and has served its purpose" and needs to be replaced because of population growth in the county, Marez said.
The new facility will be next to the Robstown County Show Barn, 909 E. Ave. J, which will move the facility closer to the heart of Robstown.
The new facility will increase the total capacity of animals that can be held. The plans show the facility will be equipped with special amenities, including "get acquainted" rooms and yards where patrons can visit the animals before considering adoption.
The runs in which the dogs will be held will have indoor and outdoor portions.
The plan shown to commissioners is subject to change because the design phase is not yet complete.
The need
The county retained Shelter Planners of America, a national architectural firm that specializes in buildings for animal services, for the project.
The county also charged the firm to conduct a needs assessment study in 2020 to determine what improvements would be needed to best serve the county's rural areas.
Nationally, the animal intake usually is 2% to 3% of the human population in an area. Nueces County is above the national average for animal intake at 3.3% of the human population, according to the study.
In 2019, the animal service facility received 1,020 animals: 709 dogs, 244 cats and 67 other species. In the next 20 years, the service area population is projected to increase by 51.7% to approximately 46,657, meaning the animal intake could increase.
"We have a huge problem with strays in the rural communities especially," Nueces County Judge Canales said. "The current facility won't cut it."
Compromise on funding
Canales and Marez set out in the meeting to approve fully funding the project, which had a $5.4 million price tag.
However, Precinct 2 commissioner Joe A. Gonzalez and Precinct 1 commissioner Robert Hernandez said the price was too high for them to support the project.
In a compromise put forth by Gonzalez, the court agreed to allocate $4.2 million for the project.
The court came to that total with previously allocated certificates of obligation from 2019 and 2021. Canales and Marez offered to put in $100,000 each of certifications of obligations earmarked for use in their jurisdiction.
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Mike Barnard, the president of Animal Shelter of America, told commissioners it is common for governmental entities to adjust the budget for the facilities. He said he was confident $4.2 million could yield a facility suitable for the county's needs.
"There are hard choices to make," Barnard, referring to the task of lowering costs, told commissioners. He said his firm will assess lowering the price tag by changing building materials and eliminating some features of the proposed facility.
The court voted 4-1 to allocate the remaining funds needed to reach $4.2 million. Precinct 4 commissioner Brent Chesney voted against the funding allocation.
Chesney said he believes a collaboration between Corpus Christi and Nueces County to provide animal services would have been more effective and cost-efficient. The city operates its own services.
Chase Rogers covers local government and industry in South Texas. Contact him at chase.rogers@caller.com or on Twitter @chasedrogers. You can support local journalism with a subscription to the Caller-Times.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Nueces County gives glimpse of new animal services facility
