Item:
Title
Approval of Capital Project Amendment No.27CPA005 Appropriating $6,078,556.00 of Limited Obligation Bond Funds to Support the Creation of a New Animal Shelter Capital Project (No. 47302635DC169); as well as Authorize the County Manager to Execute a Contract for Design Services with RND Architects, PA Totaling an Amount Not-to-exceed $5,578,556.00
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: July 13, 2026
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve Capital Project Amendment no. 27CPA005 appropriating $6,078,556.00 of Limited Obligation Bond funds to support the creation of a new Animal Shelter capital project (No. 47302635DC169); as well as authorize the County Manager to execute a contract for design services with RND Architects, PA totaling an amount not-to-exceed $5,578,556.00, pending legal approval. The balance of funding will be used for preliminary activities including third-party commissioning related to LEED certification and site and utility assessments.
|
Project |
Current Budget |
Increase/ Decrease |
Revised Budget |
Project Status |
|
Animal Shelter (No. 47302635DC169) |
- |
$6,078,556.00 |
$6,078,556.00 |
NEW |
A Request for Qualifications (RFQ No.25-006) for Architectural and Engineering Design Services for the Durham County Animal Shelter was advertised in August 2024. Responses were evaluated by representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, General Services, Engineering, and the Animal Protection Society of Durham (APS). RND Architects, PA, was selected as the highest qualified firm for this project. The County then entered into a contract with RND to update the 2020 Advanced Planning Study, which was based on pre-pandemic data.
The Revised Advanced Planning Study was completed by RND Architects with support from all project team members: Animal Arts, a national architecture firm specializing in animal care facilities; County Engineering; the Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Division; and APS leadership and staff. The scope included a two-day charette with all APS divisions: animal care, veterinary, foster and volunteers, customer service, leadership, as well as County Animal Control. During this workshop, the project team also met with County Sustainability and the project’s LEED Consultant to hold the initial scoping meeting that is required for LEED certification.
The new facility will be located on County-owned land at 1117 Junction Road and will provide housing for 131 dogs and 132 cats. The current estimate for building size is 37,250 square feet of interior conditioned space housing all functional areas: medical; separate spaces for dogs, cats, and small animals; separate adoption and surrender entrances, each with private rooms for families; functional space for the foster and volunteer programs; offices for staff; and a flexible training room. The main building will also feature approximately 6,700 square feet of covered exterior spaces for kennels and separate play yards. The plan includes a separate warehouse for food and supply storage, and a barn and paddock for found or surrendered large animals.
The current Opinion of Probable Cost for the Animal Shelter is $55 million. This cost estimate will be refined and updated throughout the upcoming design process. Please note that this estimate does not include running utilities to the property or making improvements to Junction Road that we anticipate being required by NCDOT. These off-site expenses are estimated to be an additional $6.5 million. This off-site cost estimate is especially early-stage, as utilities and ground testing are forthcoming and will substantially determine the actual off-site costs. Any utilities run to the site must support all future uses, so it is critical that the Animal Shelter and Fleet Maintenance design teams coordinate utilities planning. County staff are also assessing the feasibility and cost of running a water line to residences along Junction Road that may have compromised wells.
The Animal Shelter is scheduled to complete construction in 2030.
Please see Attachment 1 for the architect’s proposal for Design Services.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: This item aligns with the DCo Forward Strategic Plan Focus
Area of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment.
Resource Persons: Christy Raulli, Sr Real Estate Officer/Interim Project Manager, and Peri Manns, ASLA, LEED GA, Deputy Director, Engineering and Environmental Services; Jay Gibson, P.E., Director, Engineering & Environmental Services; Stacy Bluth, Interim Executive Director, APS; and Charles Nickelson, AIA, Principal, RND Architects, PA
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board approve Capital Project Amendment no. 27CPA005 appropriating $6,078,556.00 of Limited Obligation Bond funds to support the creation of a new Animal Shelter capital project (No. 47302635DC169); as well as authorize the County Manager to execute a contract for design services with RND Architects, PA totaling an amount not-to-exceed $5,578,556.00, pending legal approval.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________