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Animal-services director urges $20 million shelter as current facility floods and nears capacity
Summary
Animal‑services leadership described the existing shelter as a repurposed garage that floods, lacks appropriate surfaces and kennels, and is operating beyond capacity; staff said a new $20 million facility near the proposed rec center site would be required to avoid intake closures or euthanasia for space.
At a bond advisory meeting, Rhonda McClendon, who leads the city’s animal services, told the committee the existing shelter is a converted fleet garage that floods during heavy rains, does not meet modern animal‑holding standards and routinely pushes staff to manage capacity with limited options.
"We have not euthanized for space in 14 years. We're critically close," McClendon said, describing recurring flooding, inadequate kennel sizes and indoor surfaces that are not impermeable to moisture — a condition that, staff said, risks disease…
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