Stylish digs for shelter pets? KC Council approves funds for new animal care 'campus'

A new $26 million state-of-the-art animal shelter in Swope Park took a big step toward construction Thursday as the Kansas City Council unanimously approved a public-private agreement setting the project in motion.

The accord with Kansas City Campus for Animal Care, the non-profit that will operate the 54,000 square-foot facility, calls for the city to put up $18 million in general obligation bond funds. The project was part of the $800 million bond package approved by voters in April 2017.

Construction at the 15-acre park site, at the corner of Gregory Boulevard and Elmwood Avenue, is expected to begin this summer with a ribbon cutting in the fall of 2019. It will replace the aging, overcrowded existing shelter on Raytown Road.

Animal welfare advocates, organized as "Raise The Woof," mounted a lively, well-funded campaign for the proposal and have pledged to raise the balance of the cost from private sources.

The original ballot question called for just $14 million in bond money. City officials said rising construction costs and a decision to move the city's existing Animal Control operation, currently at 25th and Prospect, into the new building, account for the increased price tag.

While the plan sailed to unanimous approval, there were questions about a couple of provisions. The city agreed to release its $18 million share of the cost even though private supporters remain from $2 million to $3 million short of their required amount.

City finance director Randall Landes said Wednesday that his strong preference in public-private ventures is for all the private money to be in hand before tax funds are committed. "Until I can bite the nickel," he said, he is usually reluctant to sign off.

Landes told the council's finance and governance committee that the arrangement raised the possibility that the city could be left with an incomplete facility if private funders don't come through.

"You'll have a big building, it will look great and they'll be nothing in it," he said.

But Landes said that given letters of commitment he's seen from private fundraisers, his concerns are minimal. The fundraising effort is headed by communications consultant Roshann Parris and Kristi Wyatt, senior vice president of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

There were also questions about the absence of competitive bidding for design and construction of the facility. In some respects, the project resembles the original KCI single terminal proposal by Burns & McDonnell, which offered to design and build the project then turn it over to the city.

City Manager Troy Schulte said this method was used in the public-private development of Swope Soccer Village. In the case of the animal campus, designer HNTB and Grand Construction have done millions in pro bono work for private supporters — work the city would otherwise have to pay for, Schulte said. Grand Construction is partly owned by Cerner Corp., whose co-founder, Cliff Illig, is a major supporter of the animal campus.

Schulte said that the contractors would still have to meet the city's requirements for minority hiring and payment of prevailing wages.

Plans call for the new "no-kill" shelter to feature natural light, meet-and-greet space for those who are considering adopting a pet, an education and training center, and affordable veterinary services.

This story was originally published April 5, 2018 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Stylish digs for shelter pets? KC Council approves funds for new animal care 'campus'."