Tazewell County Animal Control employees – and the dogs, cats and small animals under their care – are looking forward to a bright future.
A groundbreaking was held under a hot sun Thursday for a new $3.5 million animal control facility amid the beginning stages of construction behind the Emergency Management Agency building on the county’s Tremont campus off Illinois 9.
The current animal control facility, built in the 1990s and with a multitude of problems, is also on the campus.
Animal Control Director Libby Aeschleman, whose vision for a new facility drove the three-year effort that was symbolized by Thursday’s ceremony, said it’s the goal of her staff in a demanding and often emotional line of work to be better every day.
“The new facility will show how much better we can do,” she said.
Tazewell County Board chairman Brett Grimm said the new facility “will fix something that’s needed to be fixed for a long time.”
Grimm praised the work of Aeschleman, county board property committee chair Max Schneider, and the construction and design team at contractor P.J. Hoerr for what he called their forward-thinking and collaborative efforts to build a facility that meets the needs of animal control staff and animals and is not extravagant.
John Sutherland, P.J. Hoerr’s executive vice president, said the company is taking a special interest in the project, which is expected to be completed early next year.
“There’s dogs and cats and construction equipment here. What a great place to be,” he said, looking around at the audience, which included two dogs and a cat.
“This project means a lot to us because many of our employees care about animals and their well-being,” Sutherland said. “The county’s current animal control facility has a lot of issues ... namely its age, small size, and the inadequate ventilation system.”
At nearly 9,400 square feet, the new facility will be about 4,000 square feet larger than the current one, easing the overcrowding for the 120 animals housed there. The new building will be able to house 95 dogs, 35 cats and a few small animals comfortably.
Covered outdoor kennels, an outdoor play area, and an interior storm shelter are other new amenities, along with a large adoption area, in the new facility.
The HVAC system in the new facility will actually be three separate systems (employee areas, quarantined animals and non-quarantined animals).
County officials listed a number of drawbacks in the current facility when bids were being sought to build the new facility:
• Inadequate space for the animal control team.
• Poor ventilation because the HVAC system circulates the same air throughout the building.
• The building doesn't meet current standards regarding space in kennels, separation between kennels, and a lack of quarantine areas.
• Kennels that need to be replaced.
• No place for veterinarian services.
• No adoption rooms.
The new facility will have quarantine rooms, a veterinarian medical room, and a fenced unloading area.
The current facility will be used until the new one opens. It isn’t clear what will happen to the current facility when it’s no longer needed.
