Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view of a rendering by Force Construction of their design for the new Columbus Animal Care Services building during a capital campaign kick off event to raise money for the new building at Bespoke Events and Experiences in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.
The city on Tuesday issued a request for proposals and qualifications (RFPQ) for a much-needed new facility for Columbus Animal Care Services.
The Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety issued an RFPQ for what will be called the Wendy H. Elwood Animal Care Services Center, located on the south site of Arnold Street in the AirPark, across the street from the current animal care services facility.
The current facility — which is just 4,900-square-feet — was built in 1987 and routinely averages more than double its intended capacity. Nicohl Birdwell Goodin, director of Columbus Animal Care Services, has described to city officials over the past year-plus the dire conditions animals and staff in the facility face, with faulty drains, inadequate ventilation, as well as failing equipment and infrastructure.
The new facility will be 21,000 square-feet and able to accommodate 66 dogs and 86 cats. It will also provide appropriate housing and ventilation to meet today’s current standards.
The planned facility will house a reception area, larger medical intake area, meet and greet rooms for all species, adequate office space for employees and volunteer spaces.
The city is spending $5 million for the new shelter, which at one time was expected to cost around $8 million but now is in the $9 million to $10 million range. Mark and Wendy Elwood have provided a $1 million contribution and city officials are seeking a $1 million community match to that. According to a graphic showing progress of the campaign on its website, that match is 78% of the way there, as it has been for awhile.
Animal care services on Monday will make requests to redevelopment to fill the remaining funding gap for the new shelter and pay for design and engineering services to relocate an existing sanitary sewer line on the future facility site.
How much of a funding gap there is continues to be unclear, although Eric Frey, executive director of administration, said previously that the new facility is pre-approved for state Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) 2.0 dollars.
The board of works in November hired Doug Sunkel, a Cummins retiree with experience in logistics, to project manage the endeavor. In December, city officials hired Force Design to do initial design services on the new facility ahead of it going to bid, putting together bridging documents and designing about 20% of drawings for the project, Sunkel said.
The construction of the building will follow a similar process to the city’s new home for the department of public works. Both projects will use the buy-operate-transfer procurement method, which city council members agreed to allow the use of in July 2024.
If everything moves forward smoothly, Sunkel said that groundbreaking could take place in the early summer and construction will take about a year. City officials hope animal care services will start moving into the building around June 2027.
The deadline for submittals for the RFPQ is 4 p.m. March 23.
