Yesterday, Multnomah County officials were briefed on the progress of replacing the county's outdated Animal Services Facility. The update, required as a part of the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, was the second quarterly report since an initial presentation in September 2024 and was detailed in a statement obtained by Multnomah County. Animal Services Director Erin Grahek described the current shelter as a "challenge due to space constraints and resources," stressing that the facility operates as a "shelter, a hospital, and a long-term holding facility for animals" all at once.
Addressing the Board of County Commissioners, Grahek, with Facilities and Property Management Director Dan Zalkow and Chief Financial Officer Eric Arellano, emphasized that their work aims to now only to care for animals but also to ensure compliance with national industry standards. The county’s effort to rebuild the shelter, as highlighted by Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, began with the installation of a Strategic Plan she introduced after taking office in January 2023, which set the agenda to comply with a series of industry recommendations. However, the physical limitations of the current facility have been a barrier to implementing this plan fully.
The briefing noted that the Animal Services team is limited by the current facility's size, which affects the ability to meet guidelines such as providing adequate space and separate housing for different species and health statuses. Grahek mentioned that, due to space constraints, the shelter had to house a bearded dragon in a hallway, which is not in line with industry guidelines that specify animals should not be kept in areas not intended for them.
County officials have been actively planning the replacement of the existing 17,999-square-foot shelter, which is deemed insufficient in space and function. The new shelter is projected to need between 35,000 and 45,000 square feet, with early cost estimates ranging from $55 million to $70 million. There was exploration into renovating and expanding the current building, but the options to do so quickly revealed comparable costs without the benefits of a tailored new facility. The commissioners weighed in as well, with concerns about the high potential cost per square foot and inquiries into community engagement during this planning phase.
In terms of funding the project, Arellano noted that "if the Board does decide to move forward with this project, we’re going to have to do some level of financing to move the project forward" starting in early fiscal year 2027, according to the county's annoucement. For the moment, $3.5 million from the county's Capital Fund have been earmarked for the project, and the remainder will require a strategy yet to be finalized. As for the next steps, those will be discussed in a Board meeting slated for March, wherein a potential approval for continuing the planning and design work is expected. Additionally, community input on design and site location will be prioritized, with a particular focus on the East County area.
