Starting Dec. 14, Pima Animal Care Center staff and pets will begin their long-awaited transition to their new modern animal care facility. All operations in the new building will be open-for-business by Dec. 26. 

Voters approved bond funding for this new facility in 2014 through Proposition 415. The proposition authorized the county to borrow up to $22 million to improve the existing shelter. The new building opening this month, located just east of the existing facility, marks the completion of Phase 1 of construction. Contractors will go to work on Phase 2, which involves the remodel and partial demolition of the existing 1960’s shelter, the last week of December.

Over the next two weeks, PACC staff will begin moving to the new site. To make the transition as smooth as possible and limit disruptions to the public, PACC officials have planned a 4 p.m. closure on Monday, Dec. 11, and a full-day closure on Monday, Dec. 18. Members of the public who have a medical emergency during this time, should contact PACC’s Pet Support Center at (520) 724-7222.

During the transition period, PACC will operate from both the existing shelter and the new east building. Members of the public should visit the current shelter first until they see signage that directs them to the new building. Sundt Construction contractors will likely remain onsite adding finishing touches to the new building through Dec. 25. 

The new PACC building opening this month includes a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic for emergencies and routine care, a pet support center, adoptions lobby, expanded cat and dog housing areas, and administrative offices for PACC staff. In addition, the facility has several modern animal care amenities including:

• Fresh air and natural lighting throughout the facility

• Well-designed plumbing and cleaning systems

• Expanded cat housing areas with two-sided cat condos

• Indoor/outdoor canine housing units

• Isolation spaces for disease control

• Completely separate cat and dog housing areas

While designing the new shelter, which includes Phase 1 and 2, Line and Space architects consulted with Animal Arts Design, a firm dedicated to building animal shelters. They also incorporated community and stakeholder feedback to ensure the new shelter would meet modern day standards and also suit the existing needs of PACC’s staff and pets. 

Completion of both phases is expected in summer 2018. When finished, the new PACC shelter will measure about 60,000 square feet, which is nearly double the size of PACC’s existing facility. For more information on this project, visit the PACC bond construction progress webpage.