City staff were busy informing the public about ongoing projects throughout Sachse during the final council meeting of 2022.

Parks, roads and the new animal shelter were included in the informational updates presented to councilmembers during the Tuesday, Dec. 6, regular meeting.

Police Chief Bryan Sylvester presented an update on the animal shelter construction, which has a maximum cost of $5 million through 2021 bond funding. Sylvester said the contractor and architect have been able to estimate some costs now that the design is finished.

“That will be further refined as we go forward,” Sylvester said. “This gives us a pretty good idea on a generic scale looking where we are and if our design is comfortable with our budget. I’m comfortable with where that figure is now; I’m not satisfied with it completely, but it is within our guaranteed maximum price.”

The building will have an area of 6,000 square feet, nearly double the size of the current animal shelter. It will include a public area where individuals can meet pets and will have 29 total kennels to house animals compared to 12 at the current shelter.

“A lot of the interior space of the current animal shelter is open bay and really not purposed for any particular use,” Sylvester said. “This interior provides significant use opportunities for kenneling as well as caring for the animals.”

Access to human interaction was critical in the design, he added, with a focus taken to not completely isolate animals. Visitation rooms are adjacent to the main kennel areas, according to the design plans shown during the meeting.

“Although it is a secure area, our public will be allowed back there with our staff to go and look at our animals,” Sylvester said. “That’s the practice that we have in place now. I believe it is best served for our animals to allow them to be viewed by residents that are considering adopting them.”

For the full story, see the Dec. 15 issue of The Sachse News.