Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Las Vegas to consider creation of energy-efficient animal shelter

The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday will consider a contract with Clark County and North Las Vegas that will pave the way for turning the Animal Foundation of Nevada's shelter into a sprawling, energy-efficient regional animal center.

As part of the interlocal agreement, the city will consider providing the foundation with six to eight acres of city-owned vacant land adjacent to the organization's Lied Animal Shelter at 700 N. Mohave Road

The foundation, which has operated the city's pound since 1995, plans to spend $14 million in mostly private funds for the expansion.

The lease for the property at the southeast corner of Harris Avenue and Manning Street would be for 50 years at $1 a year, foundation spokesman Mark Fierro said Friday.

"You are going to see the Animal Foundation's current facility morph into a multimillion-dollar campus using the most modern technology to be cost-efficient," Fierro said of the project that is proposed to be powered in part by solar energy and will feature a windmill-operated ventilation system.

Should the City Council approve the interlocal agreement, it will still need the approval of the other entities that helped draw it up.

The proposal is part of Wednesday's consent agenda -- a group of items deemed to be routine and passed by a single vote unless a council member asks for an item to be called forward for discussion.

The need for the expanded Regional Animal Shelter campus emerged after the Clark County Commission in July approved a 10-year contract with the Animal Foundation, In two years the foundation will take over shelter and adoption services currently provided at the Dewey Animal Shelter.

North Las Vegas, which currently uses Dewey as its pound, is expected to consider a similar contract with the Animal Foundation as early as September.

"It is a big endeavor if they (Animal Foundation) can pull it off," said David Roark, manager of real estate for the city's Public Work's Department, which was to recommend passage of the proposal at today's Real Estate Committee hearing on the matter.

"It would be a great amenity for the entire community to have all of the animal services for the three main entities in one location."

Fierro and Roark estimated that the value of the land the city is putting up for the project at between $1 million and $2 million, though Roark said his figure includes the current shelter that was built on city-owned land.

Roark said providing the land will be the extent of the city's financial obligation to the expansion.

In addition to the land and private funding, financial contributions by the county and North Las Vegas will come from taxpayer funds that already are being paid to Dewey to provide pound services, Fierro said.

Clark County will pay the Animal Foundation $1.2 million a year for the first six years -- the same annual amount that the county currently pays Dewey -- and that amount will be reduced to $800,000 annually after that. The $400,000 difference for each of the first six years -- $2.4 million -- will be used to help pay for the expansion.

The terms for North Las Vegas, which currently pays Dewey $250,000 a year for pound services, are being negotiated, but will be similar to the current arrangement, Fierro said.

The county's contract with the Animal Foundation calls for the organization to build and open an addition to its shelter by March 31, 2005, and begin impounding animals for the county in June 2005.

The proposed interlocal agreement calls for 45 percent of the shelter to be used to house animals impounded within the Las Vegas city limits, 44 percent from the county and 11 percent from North Las Vegas.

The new facility, directly northwest of the Las Vegas Fire Department's training center, is expected to be completed in four phases over the next six years, Fierro said. The campus is slated to include an extended-stay adoption center, veterinarian tech school and a dog show arena.

Architects for the expansion say they will follow guidelines established by the U.S. Green Building Council to try to achieve that agency's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for environmental responsiveness and resource efficiency.

Windom Kimsey, architect for the project for Tate, Snyder & Kimsey, said ventilation windmills will push air through the kennel floor toward the roof, eliminating heat and odors. The shaded archways, he said, will be topped with solar panels that during winter will heat the kennel floors.

"The solar panels will provide 600 kilowatts for the 44 dog bungalows and 255 kennels," he said, noting that much wattage can power about 20 households. Desert landscaping also will be utilized to save water, he said.

Bill Snyder, president of the architectural company that has operated locally for 40 years, said the design of the project kept in mind the hundreds of children who will visit the site to adopt animals.

"This will be a highly visible educational tool," Snyder said. "It will be a showcase for what the environment and conservation are all about."

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