LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Zuzu and Casserole, two 3-year-old domestic short hair cats, curled against one another as an earnest Henderson family unlatched their kennel door, ready to open their hearts to the two bonded felines. It’s a tender moment city officials want to continue amid growing obstacles.
On Tuesday, the Henderson Redevelopment Agency Advisory Commission heard a proposal to allocate $3,245,604 for expansion and renovations for the Henderson Animal Control Center.
The facility houses space for the Animal Adoption Center, Animal Hold Facility, and offices for Animal Control staff. However, the growth of the community in 30 years has presented new obstacles that new additions would solve, according to city officials.
Anthony Molloy, Director of Henderson Redevelopment, presented the proposal to the advisory commission Tuesday and said the initial $3.2 million would eventually rise to $4.5 million with a design and specific project goals decided at a future date for the decades-old building.
“The building was constructed in 1993,” Molloy said. “Since that time our city has increased drastically in population and also the demand in services has also increased as a result.”
The proposal outlines three general goalposts for the renovation and expansion including: constructing a quarantine space, expanding the medical area, and adding new kennels to fit within the existing animal housing wings.
One kennel space, the “Cattery”, is a somewhat quiet space where staff works to house and feed stray or surrendered cats. The secondary task sometimes involves uncovering some of the feline’s relationships and making note of when they bond, marking them as a packaged deal upon adoption, according to staff who spoke with 8 News Now during a facility tour.
The facility boasts a host of species entering and exiting the adoption center’s doors with a wide array of dogs, rabbits, and even two potbelly pigs—one aptly named “Miss Piggy.”
During the meeting, commissioners asked Molloy about the size and acreage of the facility.
“Is there enough land for the expansion,” Laura Jane Spina, a Redevelopment Advisory Commissioner, said.
“Yes,” Molloy said.
The Hendeson Animal Control Center near Galleria Drive and Boulder Highway makes up roughly three acres of a 96-acre parcel owned by City of Henderson, according to Clark County documents.
One of the primary challenges for the projects is the requirement for the facility to remain in operation during design and construction, according to the proposal.
Troy Westover, facilities manager for the City of Henderson, said the renovation comes as an opportunity for city staff to re-examine the needs of the facility 30 years after it was constructed.
“We want to add some quarantine space so that we don’t have to have that problem and introduce the animals that are sick into the healthy population,” Westover said. “We’ve been spending money for a few years now to try to upgrade it. So we’re just really grateful to have this large influx of money to make these improvements.”
The advisory commission unanimously approved the $3.2 million for the facility. It will go to a series of other city boards for review before arriving on the Henderson City Council agenda, expected later this year.
