Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facility Improvement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
San Angelo to build kennel 'pods' at animal shelter; construction manager outlines $2.15M estimate
Summary
Construction manager Al Torres presented a plan for four standalone kennel pods with outdoor runs and meet-and-greet areas, estimated at about $2,150,000 in conservative costs; design is expected to take 3–4 months and construction 6–8 months.
The San Angelo Animal Shelter Advisory Committee heard a presentation on Jan. 15 laying out a plan to replace the facility’s large dog kennel with multiple smaller 'pod' buildings designed to reduce noise and disease transmission and improve visitor access.
Construction manager Al Torres described the concept as several self-contained kennel buildings of roughly 20–25 kennels each, with outdoor runs, individual HVAC and plumbing for each pod, and sidewalks that would let the public view dogs from outside. “We are creating smaller pod kennels with about 20 to 25 kennels in each building,” he said.
Under the current concept the city would design four pods (fourth as an alternate if budget allows) totaling roughly 96 kennels; existing quarantine, isolation and puppy wards in the old building would remain in place and the large kennel would be closed for housing. Al said the design phase could take three months (he presented a conservative four-month estimate) and construction could be completed in six to eight months, with phase two — an administration building — deferred until later.
On costs, Al said the city has "just a little over $2,000,000" currently available for the project and offered a conservative estimate for the four-pod project: about $1,600,000 for the pod construction (roughly $400,000 per pod for site work, permits and fees), an allowance for engineering/testing and related fees near $250,000, and an aggregated project estimate of $2,150,000. He emphasized these are preliminary numbers to be refined after engineer proposals are received.
Committee members asked about capacity math and how the new pods would interact with existing kennel space; Amanda Bridal added that the overall functional capacity would remain near 140 when the pods and existing wards are counted together. The presentation noted potential sponsorship opportunities for meet-and-greet areas and that the city is evaluating walling materials and outdoor configurations to reduce stress and barking.
No formal appropriation or contract award was made at the meeting; staff said they will seek design proposals from engineers and return with refined cost and schedule information.
