The City of Newcastle is breaking ground on a new Animal Shelter at 4 p.m. Monday at 717 N. Walker Drive in Newcastle.
The new facility will provide indoor spaces for cats and dogs that have been brought in by the City’s animal control officers.
City Communications Director Scott Hannan said the public is invited to help mark the groundbreaking of the facility, which when complete is expected to provide better quality of life for the cats and dogs housed there.
Hannan said, “The facility’s modern design will not only include comfortable indoor spaces for dogs and cats but also improve the overall experience for potential adopters and staff with its state-of-theart intake facilities.”
The new shelter was designed by the Guernsey architectural firm, and is being built by Nabholz Construction. It was originally projected to cost $1.7 million, but costs continually rose as time to build got nearer, going from a projected $2.5 million, now to approximately $3.4 million.
City Manager Kevin Self said the Council has approved using up to $600,000 from the half-cent sales tax. He added this is from the 30% side, which can be used for capital improvements. And they also approved using up to $600,000 from the general fund balance.
Self said the remainder of monies will come from loan proceeds which the Council had already approved from First National Bank in Newcastle.
