Houston approved a design-build contract for nearly $32 million to go toward the new BARC facility, as well as improvements to its current building.
What happened
Houston City Council, on June 3, unanimously approved spending $31.8 million for a design-build contract on a new customer-facing animal adoption center that will be located at 105 Sabine St. The new building will be approximately 25,000 square feet and will be able to hold up to 120 animals.
The approval also puts funding toward improving BARC’s current campus, including:
- Renovating the dome
- Roof repairs
- Exterior improvements
- Reconfiguring the interior
- Security, information technology, mechanical, electrical and plumbing updates
- Warehouse replacement
What they are saying
Council member Mario Castillo called the adoption center a "positive step in the right direction" and praised city staff for identifying a site and expanding adoption capacity. He added that more collaboration is needed with other local agencies, such as Harris County.
“It's confusing to the residents who live near the county shelter that takes their animals there and are told, ‘You have to go to BARC,' and then [the pets] end up in Melrose Park, and so we need to work on that,” Castillo said.
Something to note
Shelter officials have been looking to begin constructing a new facility to increase capacity since voters approved a $47 million bond in 2022. Now that a site has been selected, the project is seeing its first steps, which will include the demolition of existing structures at the site, as well as proposed site improvements such as parking, installation of underground detention systems and landscaping, per the agenda item.
One more thing
A specific date has not yet been announced for when animal shelter officials anticipate starting improvements or moving into the new facility.
