Multnomah County officials outline needs, site options and $55–$70 million estimate for new animal services facility

Multnomah County Chair Vega Peterson and county staff on Monday presented the Board of Commissioners with conceptual designs, program needs and preliminary funding options for a proposed replacement of Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS), saying the present facility prevents the county from meeting industry standards and community access goals.

County officials said a new facility would include distinct public lobbies, expanded clinic and surgical space, separate isolation areas for multiple species and program support spaces. A conceptual program developed during preliminary planning showed a minimal program of about 35,000 square feet and a more ideal program close to 45,000 square feet; an independent estimator produced a very rough cost range of $55 million to $70 million in today’s dollars.

Why it matters: Animal services is the county’s municipal shelter and animal control agency. County leaders said the current building constrains veterinary care, quarantine capacity and equitable public access — outcomes that affect public health, reunification of lost pets with owners and the county’s ability to deliver progressive humane-law enforcement and community outreach.

“We are the county’s sole municipal animal shelter and animal control agency,” Erin Grahick, division director for Multnomah County Animal Services, told the board. “MCAS cares for the community’s lost, homeless, stray, injured, sick, neglected, and abandoned animals.” Grahick said MCAS has reviewed the Association of Shelter Veterinarians guidelines and…