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Courtesy of the Putnam County Board of Commissioners. An example of what the dog kennels for the new Putnam County Animal Control Department facility could look like.
Plans to build a new Putnam County Animal Control building cleared another hurdle as the Board of County Commissioners has approved the facility contract.
The agreement to spend $890,000 for the new facility moved forward in a 4-1 vote during the board meeting Tuesday morning. Commissioner Paul Adamczyk cast the dissenting vote.
“I still don’t feel that the design met the criteria that we laid out,” he said during the meeting. “I think it’s overpriced for what was presented to us.”
Adamczyk said he couldn’t calculate how much the county is getting for the cost when other communities aren’t building facilities that are “two metal buildings” and “some dividers.”
In January, officials from C&R Technical, a construction company based out of St. Augustine, provided commissioners with a basic design of what the facility could look like. There are to be two pole barn-style dog kennel buildings, according to the conceptual design.
Documents show 44 dog kennels per facility, “garage doors” on the sides of the buildings, wall fans to provide air through the kennels and a concrete slab for the floor.
A third building will hold office space, animal processing and cat kennels. The minimum space for that building is 2,800 square feet, according to the plans.
The third building also includes one private office, an open space for six cubicle offices, two bathrooms accessible for people with disabilities, a break area, an exam room, 32 cat cages, a storage area for medical prescriptions, a play area for pets and owners, a food storage area, and a split heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Deputy County Administrator Julianne Young said this agreement is a “design-build” contract, meaning there is no exact final plan yet. However, the final design will be up to building codes and state laws, she said.
The county will be involved by sourcing the site equipment and providing operators when necessary and when resources are available, documents show.
This also helps save costs because the equipment needed will be direct-purchased, which cuts out sales tax costs, Young said.
County documents outlined a project schedule for the new facilities:
– The design process and approval began July 1 and is expected to be completed by Sept. 1.
– The final design and approval and ordering of long lead materials begins Sept. 1 and is expected to be finished on the same day.
– Drawings for the permitting process should be issued Sept. 2.
– Site work is set to start Sept. 16.
– The construction permit issuance and construction start is set for Oct. 16.
– Construction could be finished by Feb. 28.
Commissioner Larry Harvey said Tuesday he is excited about finally getting the project started.
“It’s been a long time,” Harvey said. “It’s needed.”
Harvey also said he would like to create days where people could volunteer at the new shelter once it is complete.
Until that time, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Putnam County Fire Rescue Local 3529 are in competition to see which agency can collect the most dog food and blankets for Animal Control by July 31.
“In the end, the winners are the lost and abandoned dogs awaiting adoption,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post after a bit of friendly trash-talking against fire rescue.
Donations can be dropped off at:
– The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, 130 Orie Griffin Blvd. in Palatka.
– The sheriff’s office’s West District building, 108 County Road 315 in Interlachen.
– The sheriff’s office’s South District building, 101 Prospect St. in Crescent City, at the east end of the George C. Miller Middle School campus.
– Putnam County Fire Rescue Station 11, 120 Orie Griffin Blvd. in Palatka.
– Mary Wisham Park, 170 County Road 315 in Interlachen.
– Satsuma Fire Department, 103 S. First St. in Satsuma.
“I wish we did not have to be in the animal services business. I wish people took responsibility of their animals … but we choose to,” Harvey said. “But I do want to say our employees there deserve the facility. The animals deserve the facility, and I think we’re going to see a lot more volunteers come to the table and be a part of the new facility.”