See plans for the new OKC animal shelter aimed at reducing overcrowding, illness

Oklahoma City’s new animal shelter is getting closer to becoming a reality after the city’s MAPS 4 advisory group unanimously approved preliminary reports for the building’s design and budget.

City leadership is hopeful the upcoming MAPS 4 animal shelter can lessen longtime issues of overcrowding with the existing shelter and, in turn, reduce persistent bouts of illness that have plagued the older site in recent months and lessen the need for euthanasia.

The new 68,000-square-foot, two-floored facility is slated to be built on the same 14-acre city-owned land at 2811 SE 29 St., without interrupting operations at the current shelter.

The MAPS 4 shelter is expected to include larger facilities for veterinarian and laboratory services, more public-friendly and durable animal holding areas, dedicated meeting rooms for animal welfare officers, and larger lobbies and yards for the public. A new, 2,850-square-foot barn to house livestock is also planned for the property.

The two-phase project, expected to begin officially in late 2024 and span 18 months, would first entail demolishing the old barn and constructing the new main shelter and public parking spaces. The second phase would involve demolishing the old shelter and then building a new barn and more staff parking.

Officials: OKC animal shelter has needed more room for some time

Oklahoma City voters in 2019 approved a proposal for a new animal shelter under the ambitious MAPS 4 program, which would allocate $42 million in public funds to replace OKC Animal Welfare's current 47,000-square-foot facility. Estimates for construction costs of the new facility are currently below budget, at just under $31 million.

The current shelter was built in 1996, and OKC Animal Welfare Superintendent Jon Gary has long stated his department is in need of a newer building, especially to reduce issues of overcrowding and euthanizing animals for space. As of Dec. 20, the facility was at 147% capacity, and Gary said 2023 was the shelter's lowest live-release rate in the past five years.

"Some of that had to do with the disease that we battled last year as well, which made things very challenging," Gary said. "But we really have to figure out, how do we get animals adopted? How do we get them in and out of our shelter faster than what we are currently? We have so many animals that are staying here long-term that just aren’t moving, and that creates overcapacity issues for us."

The Oklahoma City Animal Shelter endured multiple closures in 2023 due to outbreaks of an upper respiratory infection. Hundreds of dogs fell ill and several dogs died from “canine flu,” and city officials and animal advocates alike are hopeful a new building with more space can help in preventing such outbreaks.

Gary said the MAPS 4 facility, once it is built, would certainly do that, but also said it's "not going to be the magic pill." The biggest solution, according to him, is spreading awareness and increasing adoption of the animals.

"Turnover of animals is crucial when it comes to life-saving, so we have to get them in and out as fast as we can, and we struggled with that due to adoption issues and the transfer to partners," Gary told The Oklahoman. "2023 was a very, very tough year for us. We're still over capacity, and these last couple of weeks euthanasia has been up because of it."

Design to cater toward staff

Todd Edmonds, the principal with HSEarchitects leading the project’s design team, said many of the upcoming shelter’s features are purposefully engineered to serve as upgrades from the aging current facility. But he also added that the design team is mindful of Gary’s staff of about 60 people, who regularly must attend to hundreds of animals and are often stretched thin during seasonal demands.

“Our conversations throughout the design are, 'How do we work with the staff that he currently has?’" Edmonds said. "Everything has gotten bigger, but we haven’t really added any functions that he doesn’t currently have.”

Gary has been heavily involved with the design, and told The Oklahoman he was proud of the work the architects had done in planning a setting that would be more appealing to both animal and human visitors.

"We want it to be a great place for the animals and be able to help with life-saving, but we also want it to be a really great place for the people," Gary said. "Not just our visitors, but the people that come here and work every day and have to be in these conditions every day. We wanted to make it a special place for them as well. I think the architects have done a really, really good job in that area."

Overwhelmed and isolated: Dog flu outbreak causes crowding, boost in euthanasia at OKC shelter

MAPS 4 Board questions $10M budget

Oklahoma City’s MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board unanimously approved the preliminary reports in early January. The new shelter plans await further approval from the city council before architects can finalize specifications and begin accepting bids for the project this summer.

Board member Russell Pace, representing Ward 1, initially questioned Edmonds about the $10 million estimate for services and the project’s expensive square footage cost.

“Does it concern anybody else that we’re spending $468 a square foot to build dog kennels?” Pace asked. “The majority of the building, to me, seems pretty straightforward, with the exception of the surgery area. I’m sure the number’s accurate — I’m not questioning that — it just seems extraordinarily high.”

Edmonds acknowledged the high costs could look “surprising,” but said certain expenses were necessary after factoring in maintenance of the clinic and the kennels, including equipment, drainage and floor surfacing that could withstand urine and other significant chemicals.

“There is so much plumbing and drainage and things that have to go into that,” Edmonds said. “Every single one of those kennels has to have a drain. That all adds up. And just the durable finishes — the epoxy flooring alone is shocking how much that costs per square foot.”

Architects said they are being strategic and forward-thinking with the design for the MAPS 4 shelter, hoping to prevent aesthetic and structural issues that have worn down the current facility, worsened onsite odors or led to fewer adoptions. More spacious kennels would be built to accommodate sliding "guillotine" doors and natural lighting, Edmonds said, to improve the health of the animals and avoid the off-putting feel of incarceration.

Edmonds also said he believes a newly built facility will compel higher numbers of residents to volunteer and supplement the current shelter's staff. Some board members were skeptical enough volunteers could keep pace with the city's high trends of stray and abandoned animals, but all agreed that a new shelter was long overdue.

“I think this is an exciting project that we’re really, as a city, ready to see happen,” said Teresa Rose, board chairperson and Communities Foundation of Oklahoma CEO.

Related: Overcrowding poses challenges for OKC area animal shelters

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: See designs for new Oklahoma City animal shelter