El Paso County wants residents to help shape the county’s first animal shelter, and they are doing it with a short online survey that wraps up on Thursday, March 12. The county rolled out the request over the weekend, pairing a recorded presentation with a QR-linked survey to make weighing in as easy as pulling out a phone. Officials say what people share now will help set the shelter’s services, hours and neighborhood-facing policies as design work moves ahead.
How to weigh in
In a post on El Paso County's Facebook page, the county linked a short Menti survey alongside a recorded overview of the shelter plans on YouTube. The post directs residents to a quick QR-code survey designed to capture priorities from nearby neighbors, rescue groups and pet owners from across the county. County staff says responses will feed directly into schematic design choices and upcoming public outreach as the shelter program advances.
What officials are proposing
The new facility is part of the county’s voter-approved 2024 capital improvements, with Proposition E authorizing construction funding for the county’s first dedicated animal shelter and related services, according to El Paso Matters. Earlier coverage and public meetings laid out a menu of possible offerings, including vaccination and spay/neuter services, expanded kennel capacity and programs that could partner with correctional training. Those are all on the table for community input now, as described at a prior public meeting reported when the shelter plan was first unveiled, as per Hoodline.
Timeline and procurement
The county’s bond booklet places the East Montana Animal Shelter in the larger Capital Improvement schedule, and recent procurement documents show the project moving into construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) procurement as staff lines up design and contracting steps. The county bond packet lists the East Montana Animal Shelter as a named project, and the CMAR solicitation spells out selection criteria and a delivery approach for the work. Taken together, those materials indicate the shelter is shifting out of high-level master planning and into design and contractor selection.
Take the survey
Residents who want a say can fill out the short survey at the county’s Menti link: menti.com/ali56dy1fr5x. According to the county’s post, responses will be accepted through Thursday, March 12, and the recorded presentation will remain available for anyone who wants a quick briefing before answering. For more details on the project’s scope, timing and delivery method, the county points to its bond booklet and the CMAR solicitation referenced above.
