Citizen Portal
Sign In

Council reviews $20.35 million plan to expand Linda McNatt Animal Care and Adoption Center; construction to begin in May

Denton City Council · April 7, 2026

Loading...

AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

City staff presented plans to expand and renovate the Linda McNatt center, increasing facility size by ~10,000 sq ft, adding vet clinic capacity and new yards. Staff expects to bring a guaranteed maximum price in May and begin construction in May 2026 with an 18-month schedule and operational mitigation plans.

Seth Garcia, director of capital projects, and Nikki Sassenas, director of animal services, presented the Linda McNatt Animal Care and Adoption Center update and a proposed construction schedule and budget. The project's final scope adds about 10,000 square feet to bring the facility from ~18,000 to over 28,000 square feet, expands the veterinary clinic from roughly 1,000 to 3,000 square feet, adds 18 parking spaces and five play yards, and replaces the failing HVAC system. Project funding came from the 2023 bond ($15,850,000) plus a December 2024 request for ~$4,500,000, bringing the total to $20,350,000. Garcia said staff are negotiating a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) and expect to present it to council in early May with construction to start thereafter; the construction phasing is planned to last approximately 18 months.

Nikki Sassenas told the council the city is preparing operational mitigations: phase 1 (May 2026 start) will minimize operational impacts by building the new addition first; phases 2–3 will require temporary kennels, greater reliance on community partners and microchipping drives to reduce intake, and contractual arrangements with external veterinary providers while the in-house clinic is offline. Sassenas said capacity for adoptable dogs will temporarily shrink during part of construction and the shelter will emphasize return-to-owner efforts and intake diversion programs. Council members asked about partnerships, mobile units and parking impacts; staff said they are pursuing prequalified veterinary contracts and partner organizations (e.g., Operation Kindness) and will coordinate communications with Marcom.