Stillwater to gain new Animal Welfare facility

Dec. 29—The City of Stillwater announced its plans to construct a new Animal Welfare Shelter, as part of the City of Stillwater's T.I.M.E. (Together Investing in Municipal Excellence) initiative — which are projects meant to identify community needs to improve the quality of life in Stillwater.

Dawn Dodson, City of Stillwater Communication Director said reconstruction of the Stillwater Animal Welfare facility was one of three immediate needs in the Stillwater community.

"Staff spent a lot of time with community members, stakeholders and organizations, identifying areas to address first," Dodson said. "From these meetings, the immediate needs identified were streets and bridges, Fire Station No. 2 relocation and the Stillwater Animal Welfare facility."

Dodson said the City Council and other leadership decided a few months ago that it is time to address the Animal Welfare facility.

Animal welfare services include code enforcement, education, reunification, removal of killed or injured wildlife and investigation of animal-related neglect, cruelty, nuisance and bite cases. All adoptions through animal welfare services include spaying or neutering, microchipping, vaccinations and parasite treatment and prevention.

A report from the Stillwater Animal Shelter states, in 2022, the intake of dogs and cats for Stillwater's animal welfare shelter was 1,064 dogs and 508 cats — in which the facility holds 26 dog kennels and 19 catteries. From those totals, 490 dogs and 357 cats were adopted, 321 dogs and 17 cats were returned to their owner, 102 dogs and 35 cats were transferred and 107 dogs and 53 cats were transferred to the Humane Society.

With these high numbers, the Stillwater Animal Shelter is still unable to help every animal in need. Dodson said the director of the Stillwater Animal Shelter reported turning away "more than 700 dogs, almost 300 cats and other animals, such as ducks and rabbits," due to lack of space in the facility.

"The current facility, it is significantly inadequate in size, it lacks appropriate kennel and quarantine spaces," Dodson said. "It also lacks a medical care area. ... The drainage system is too small and consistently clogs. The HVAC system is not designed to recycle clean air. It is poorly insulated, difficult to heat and cool, and it is not energy efficient."

The next steps are to decide the best direction moving forward. Dodson said a decision needs to be made to decide between the two location options for the Animal Welfare facility, as well as how to fund the construction of the new building.

Brain Thomas of 505 Architects introduced the possible plans for either of the facilities.

"Part of analyzing this is looking at the ability not only to obtain what you need to do today, but to be forward thinking in the ability of the amenities you will need tomorrow," Thomas said.

One option for the facility would be to rebuild at the site of the current location on S. Main Street. The other option would be to build on a new site at Boomer Lake — on the northeast corner of W. Airport Road and N. Knoblock Street.

Both sites come with advantages and disadvantages, but the true decision is to decide which location would be best for the community.

The site on Main Street has a couple advantages, including the site is a known location, it is easily accessible and visible to those passing by. But, the site also has its disadvantages.

There is land available on the property next to the animal welfare shelter, but much of the land is located adjacent to a FEMA flood zone — which Thomas said are difficult to build into and can increase costs. The current location is also located next to a fire station, which places additional stress — due to the noise — onto the shelter animals.

The location by Boomer Lake is the preferred choice, in which the land allows a larger facility and room for future growth.

"(The land) is located in a natural setting up against the green area that's there," Thomas said. "It's next to an amenity that is used quite a bit by the community for walkers and things that would also allow, maybe, some collaborative efforts with the shelter moving forward with its proximity. ... The site would allow ... potential future expansion."

The land is covered in woods, which is accounted for in total costs, but the location of the building is placed in an area to keep trees around the building for noise control. This site also provides more space and opportunities for future expansion — such as dog parks, walking trails or building expansion.

In the future facility, amenities include kennels, catteries, a lobby area, acquaintance rooms, storage rooms, a utility room, offices, a breakroom, a conference room, a community room, ]outdoor spaces and a euthanasia suite — which is not provided in the current facility.

If the first option is chosen, the cost would be $5 million because the land only allows for a small building. If the second option is chosen, then the cost would either be a $5 million facility or a $6.75 million facility because the land offers more space.

The bond amount determines specs, location, amenities and potential future expansion. The budget includes bond administration, site survey, geotechnical, special inspections, A/E professional services and expenses, construction, testing reimbursable expenses, furniture, fixtures, equipment data, communication, A/V and security systems. And tree removal and land development.

When discussing how a bond election for the facility could affect taxpayers, Dodson gave the same example that was provided when discussing the construction of the new Fire Station No. 2. If the most expensive Animal Welfare facility were to be chosen, which is $6.75 million, with a 10-year bond, a resident owning a property of $200,000 would see a yearly tax increase of $55.63.

The expected date to begin construction of the new facility is spring 2025.

The options for the new Animal Welfare Shelter were presented at the Stillwater City Council meeting on Dec. 18, but no action was to be taken. City leadership will meet again on Jan. 8 in hopes to make decisions on location and costs to decipher the best outcome for the community.