Occupancy of animal services building targeted for October

By Bob Balgemann

REPORTER

It’s been a work in progress for several years, and now it’s getting close to becoming reality.

The new Boone County Animal Services Building should be finished, and occupied by sometime in October.  It will be located on county-owned land on the north side of Squaw Prairie Road, between the Maple Crest nursing home and Heritage Woods assisted living center.

Final touches are being applied to the building.

It now has electricity, lights are on air conditioning is running to seal the floor; the well and septic field are in, and kennel panels are in order.

One of the major donations to the new shelter was $10,000 from Al Johnson, to put up a six-foot-high, chain link security fence around the property. The fence will be erected soon.

The 3,300-square-foot building will cost an estimated $1.040 million. Most of that money is coming from the sale of $800,000 in bonds, which was approved by voters Nov. 4, 2014.

However, the actual building cost wound up being about $1.040 million, because of design changes and alternate construction items.

So, the county board on Feb. 17 created a new fund containing the $5 increase in the cost of dog tags, which was approved Oct. 16, 2013. That money will be used to repay the general fund, which is financing the $251,781.93 difference in the estimated and actual cost.

As is the case with some projects, glitches can occur along the way.

One such problem arose with the shelter’s sidewalk along the public parking lot. Quality of the work prompted county Administrator Ken Terrinoni to write a letter, dated Aug. 18, to the contractor. The letter stated that the overseeing county roads and capital improvements committee and architect Mark Schmidt “believe the finish of the concrete sidewalk is unacceptable. The committee and the architect concur on the inadequacy of the concrete work and believe the subcontractor should replace it.”

The president of the subcontractor replied in a letter dated Aug. 26 that read, in part:

“We are sorry you are not satisfied with the sidewalk along the public parking lot of the new animal services building. …will be removing the sidewalk and repouring it. Please accept the enclosed check (for $500) as a donation toward the Boone County Animal Services.”

Animal Services Department Supervisor Roger Tresemer said Sept. 7 that the $500 would go into the animal health donation fund. That money provides special care that some animals need when they are brought to the shelter. Those expenses are not covered in the department’s annual budget.