Winnebago County celebrates addition, renovations at Animal Services facility

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 11, 2024

Contact: Danielle Grindle

Phone: (815) 319-4233

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WINNEBAGO COUNTY, Ill. – County leaders and staff proudly showcased the recent addition and renovations at Winnebago County Animal Services at a ribbon cutting Friday afternoon.

To better serve the animals and residents of our community, a number of upgrades have been made to the existing 11,351 square foot building, including:

• 4,385 square foot addition
• 3 new dog rooms
• New cat enclosures
• Exam room
• Exercise yards
• New intake area
• Improved customer service area

The scope of the project included replacing and upgrading part of the HVAC system, addressing safety and functionality concerns of the animal intake and treatment area (exam room), improving safety/welfare issues in animal housing, creating dedicated spaces for sanitation of animal supplies, and modernizing overall building flow and efficiency.Following County Board approval of ARPA funds back in July 2021, local architecture firm Richard L. Johnson Associates was hired to develop the floor plan for Animal Services. A public bidding process selected Scandroli Construction as the lowest responsible bidder to complete the construction totaling over $2.4 million. Huffman Keel Partners, Inc. was contracted to work with County staff, RLJ architects, and many different trade contractors to oversee the project.

"The Animal Services Department cares for an average of 4,000 animals each year and is the only government run animal services organization in the county," said Winnebago County Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli. "Since WCAS serves all the municipalities in the county, it was a top priority to ensure our facility had the capacity and the means to take care of our animal population during their stay at the shelter, and better serve our residents from the moment they walk into the building."

The public is encouraged to visit Animal Services to see the updated facility, and to coincide with the announcement, Winnebago County Animals Services will be waiving all adoption fees for select dogs and cats for a limited time to reduce capacity and help empty the shelter.

"This renovation and expansion project gave us much needed space we are able to better utilize for supplies and exams, and offer improved operations and care for the animals in the shelter," said WCAS Administrator Jennifer Stacy. "We hope everyone can take advantage of this great opportunity to affordably adopt a deserving pet from Animal Services, as well as help make space for incoming animals in need in our community."

The complete fee waived promotion will run for two days: Saturday, October 12 and Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Hours for adoptions are Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, call (815) 319-4100 or visit winnebagoanimals.org

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About WCAS: Winnebago County Animal Services is a department of Winnebago County Government covering more than 500 square miles and serving more than 280,000 residents who call Winnebago County home. WCAS provides several services including pet licensing and registration, veterinary care to animals in need, animal welfare and cruelty investigations, pet adoptions, and more.