City officials on Tuesday hired a project manager to oversee the construction of a long-needed new shelter for Columbus Animal Care Services.
Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety members approved a professional services agreement between the city and Doug Sunkel, enlisting him to be project manager of the endeavor, in charge of design, procurement and construction of the new shelter.
Sunkel, retired from Cummins with experience in logistics, will be paid $75 an hour, although compensation won’t exceed $50,000, according to city documents.
Executive Director of Administration Eric Frey said the city is planning to use the buy-operate-transfer procurement method for the project.
The city is pitching in $5 million for the new shelter, which is expected to cost $8 million. Mark and Wendy Elwood have provided a $1 million contribution, and according to a graphic showing progress of the campaign on its website, funding is 66% of the way to its goal.
Columbus Animal Care Services’ current facility, built in 1987, is 4,900-square-foot and was intended to house 22 dogs and 40 cats.
The facility routinely averages more than double that capacity and consistently has problematic and costly issues to maintain, according to city officials. It was supposed to be expanded upon in 1997, but that never came to fruition.
Nicohl Birdwell Goodin, director of Columbus Animal Care services, gave a presentation to city council members this year, showing the dire conditions animals in the facility currently face, with faulty drains, inadequate ventilation and failing equipment.
The planned facility, to be built across the street from the current facility at 2730 Arnold St., will be 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 an inviting reception area, a larger medical intake area, meet and greet rooms for all species, adequate office space for employees and inviting volunteer spaces.
Information about how to contribute to the campaign, pictures of current conditions, as well as a virtual walk through of the proposed building can be found at friendsofcacs.org.
