Brooklyn Park council narrows options for animal shelter, asks staff to study Village Creek, police-site bay addition and central fire station

Brooklyn Park councilmembers spent the evening of June 23 debating where to locate a replacement for the city’s animal-control shelter and how to balance that need against promised senior-center space.

Chief Mark Bruley and Inspector Toni Weinbeck briefed the Council on multiple possible paths: renovating the current PUPS facility, partial or full conversion of the Central Fire Station (three options were profiled), locating at Village Creek Police Station, or repurposing the former Royalton site at 4120 85th Ave N. Staff presented estimated capital and operating costs and listed pros and cons for each option.

Bruley told the Council that operational costs could be substantial and cited a roughly $200,000/year operating estimate used in comparisons. He said Maple Grove’s building offer included a $3.2 million construction figure plus an estimated $200,000 annual operations cost for hosting other cities’ animals. Inspector Weinbeck outlined the kennel and staffing needs staff had identified, noting an approximate existing shelter footprint of 4,500 square feet and design options that could reach 6,500 square feet if employee and support spaces were included.

Recreation and Parks Director Brad Tullberg urged caution about converting central fire-bay space for animals because it would reduce senior-center program space that residents have been awaiting. "If we take bay space we are giving up promised senior amenities," Tullberg said, stressing that the existing senior program had been expecting dedicated space and that sound abatement and program size were material tradeoffs.

Community Development Director Tim Gladhill told the Council that the former Royalton parcel had redevelopment interest and that using that site for a shelter could undermine corridor goals along 85th Avenue; he also said EDA-held properties would require careful handling because of property valuation, possible acquisition costs and TIF/audit constraints.

Several councilmembers (notably Nicole Klonowski and Christian Eriksen) said they were reluctant to invest city funds in infrastructure located in another city and preferred options that used Brooklyn Park assets. Council Member Klonowski explicitly urged removing the Royalton option, citing redevelopment goals for that parcel; the Council agreed to drop Royalton from further study.

Members coalesced around asking staff to drill deeper into two or three prioritized options and return with a side-by-side comparison of costs, operational impacts and schedule. City Manager Jay Stroebel recommended staff explore (1) adding kennel bays to the north police precinct using existing office/lobby infrastructure to limit new construction, (2) the Village Creek option the police inspector had already vetted, and (3) the Central Fire Station renovation/partial conversion scenarios — with Royalton removed. Staff said construction timelines could start in summer 2026 for new build options and reminded the Council that none of the options were yet budgeted; the city’s prior $2 million senior-center allowance (from a 2018 estimate) would buy less in today’s construction market.

The Council directed staff to return with a comparative report at the July 14 meeting and a follow-up after the EDA meeting on July 21. Mayor Hollies Winston and several members emphasized they wanted a clear, comparative presentation of pros, cons, capital costs and ongoing operations costs in order to make a final decision.

Next steps: staff will prepare a side-by-side feasibility and budget comparison for prioritized options, including projected capital and operating costs, timelines and community impacts, for the July 14 meeting.