Transcript Joe Vickery Animal Shelter Expansion Project

Animal Shelter Subcommittee
JOE VICKERY ANIMAL SHELTER
EXPANSION PROJECT
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Formation and Purpose of Animal Shelter
Subcommittee
 Shelter Subcommittee formed at the request of the
Galveston County Animal Services Advisory
Committee
 Purpose
 To review and report on options for shelter expansion
through the Animal Advisory Committee to the United
Board of Health
 Use this presentation to reach out to elected officials,
Animal Services City Partners and to gain support from
the community
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 The Need for Expansion:
 Animal Overcrowding
 Disease Transmission
 Structural and Infrastructure Issues
 Customer Services Issues
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Animal Overcrowding
 Joe Vickery, Animal Shelter Expansion Project
committee member, stated original shelter designed
to house about 4500 animals.
 In 2007 - 8984 housed at the shelter
 Shelter currently has only 38 total kennels
 Overcrowding forces the housing of multiple animals
per kennel or cage (
Disease Transmission)
 Overcrowding stresses Health District staff.
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Shelter Overcrowding Pictures
Tech’s Office with cages
Overcrowded Kennel
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Overcrowding Continued
Feral Cats in Hallway
Animals in Offices
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Disease Transmission
 Recently, Animal Shelter experienced a deadly
illness outbreak
 56 animals prematurely euthanized in an attempt
to halt the outbreak
 Current shelter overcrowding and shelter design
lend to illness outbreak
 Illness outbreaks occur – new shelter designs help
to reduce the likelihood.
 Adoptions are impaired when public’s confidence
in animal’s health is in question
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Structural and Infrastructure Issues
 Construction of kennels
 Allows potentially contaminated fluids to travel from kennel to kennel
 Chain link fence on top of kennel allows nose to nose contact which
spreads disease
 Hard to completely sanitize, resulting in disease and the production of
foul odors
 Plumbing Issues – undersized (frequent stoppages occur)
 Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
 Not part of original design
 Limits fresh air intake, which is essential for disease control
 Condensation forms on drip pans and drips below, may also be a source of
disease transmission
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Structural and Infrastructure Issues
Continued – Kennel Rows and HVAC Unit
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Structural and Infrastructure Issues Con’t
 Quarantine area limited to 7 kennels which are used to
hold rabies suspects, bite cases, police holds and
aggressive dogs
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Structural and Infrastructure Issues
Continued – Lobby Area Undersized
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Customer Service Issues
 Lobby area not very accommodating to our customers
 Customers required to complete adoption/redemption
paperwork in lobby area
 Radio dispatching to field staff occurs in lobby area,
resulting in the public hearing sensitive animal control
officer information
 Intake of animals from the public occurs in the lobby
area. Difficult to segregate incoming animals who may
be ill from the adoptable animals on the way out of the
lobby.
 No room for surrender counseling or adoption
counseling
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Customer Services Issues Continued
 Customers forced to view adoptable animals that
are housed with strays, quarantined animals, and
police holds.
 During operating hours, movement of animals to
the euthanasia room occurs
 Kennel has no natural light, lighting in kennel is
dim
 Odor control is a daily challenge
 No adoption rooms/socialization areas
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Shelter Subcommittee Investigated Four
Options
 Option One - Remodel current shelter to be used
as the primary or working shelter and possibly
utilize current buildings at 1205 or 1207 Oak
Street in La Marque as an adoption center
 Option Two - Remodel current shelter into an
adoption center and construct new, multiple
buildings to house dogs on adjacent property
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Option Three - Construct new shelter at a new
location (not on county owned property)
 Option Four – Construct new shelter and
adoption center store front (on county owned
property)
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Option One: Remodel Current Shelter
 Advantages:
Potentially lower costs due to the utilization of
existing structures
End up with an offsite adoption center with great
public access
 Disadvantages:
The age of the existing structures
Infrastructure issues identified at the current shelter
will need to be repaired and infrastructure changes
at the Oak street locations is a must
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Option Two: Remodel and add onto current
shelter
 Advantages
Citizens familiar with current location
Potentially lower construction costs by using existing
structure (current shelter)
Shelter “add-ons” would be state-of-the-art
Would increase the number of available kennels
Animals potentially housed in individual kennels (lower
risk of disease transmission)
Increased size of lobby area
Improved HVAC
New construction materials – easier to sanitize
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Option Two: Remodel and add onto current
shelter
 Disadvantages
Existing structure (shelter) is old and deficient
Infrastructure issues (HVAC, plumbing, etc.)
Backfilling of property to current flood plain level
(Even though City of Texas City inspectors approved)
Wetland issues
Land Availability - adjacent to current shelter
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Option Three – New Construction on purchased
property
 Advantages
End up with a State-of-the-art shelter
New shelter would meet our increased capacity demands
Kennels constructed of ceramic coated builders brick – easier
to maintain, no fluid transfer, potentially less disease
transmission
Indoor/outdoor runs – allows for better ventilation by leaving
guillotine doors open, dogs would be sent to outdoor runs
during cleaning – reduce amount of time to clean and sanitize
and possibly reduce disease transmission(currently tying dogs
to runs in shelter during cleaning process)
HVAC improvements to help reduce illness outbreaks, disease
transmission and odor control
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Option Three Advantages Continued
 Larger lobby area
 Adoption Center – to include adoption rooms
 Improved plumbing
 Better lighting
 Possibility of adding education and training rooms
 Improved storage and capacity for disaster
preparedness supplies
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Option Three Continued
 Disadvantages
Is affordable land available for purchase?
Land costs will add to the overall build out costs of a
new shelter
New location, customer not familiar
Higher costs for new shelter construction
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Option Four: New construction on county-
owned property
 Advantages
County already owns the property
Construct an off-site, store front, adoption center
Good access for the public
Advantages of new construction similar to Option
three (state of the art, increase shelter size, kennel
construction improvements, more customer friendly
adoption center resulting in increased adoptions,
etc.)
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Option Four: Disadvantages
 Public will have to get used to a new location
 Funding new construction costs
Joe Vickery Animal Shelter
Expansion Project
 Where do we go from here……..
 Inform the Galveston County United Board of Health of
these options
 Present this information to the Galveston County
Commissioner’s Court
 Will need to take tours of the state-of-the-art shelters in
our area
 Engage local officials and our Animal Services Partner cities
 Seek community support – Animal Summit could be one
vehicle to gain public support
 Review funding options
 Seek shelter experts, architects and engineers to assist in
the design.