El Paso County is getting ready to build its first dedicated animal shelter, and officials want residents to help shape the plan. A community meeting is set for 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, where county staff and outside consultants say they will ask for feedback on the shelter’s location, services and programs. The project springs from voter-approved county bond measures that set aside money for parks, a new medical examiner’s office, and the shelter. Animal advocates say a county-run facility could broaden access to low-cost spay/neuter, vaccination, and adoption services across the region.
The public meeting will be held at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department headquarters, 3850 Justice Drive. County leaders and consultants say they will listen to community comments and collect ideas to guide the shelter’s design and day-to-day operations. County Public Works staff and consultants plan to document input and use it as they outline the project scope and operational goals, as detailed by KTSM.
According to El Paso County, Proposition E earmarked about $32.7 million to build the County Animal Shelter next to the El Paso County Jail Annex. Plans call for the facility to provide animal housing, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries, and adoption services. The shelter is part of a trio of voter-approved county projects with combined budgets of roughly $155 million. County leaders say the center is intended to expand services in unincorporated areas and to complement, not replace, existing city-run animal services.
County project descriptions indicate the new shelter will sit beside the county jail annex on the Far Eastside, and local reporting has identified the Montana Avenue annex as the likely neighbor. Several local outlets have pointed to jail annex property near East Montana Avenue as the probable site, which would firmly plant the shelter project on the Far Eastside, as reported by El Paso Matters.
