(Seguin) — Guadalupe County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved the first step in exploring the possible renovation of the county’s animal services facility.
The move allows architectural and engineering services to be developed so officials can get a clearer picture of how much the project would cost.
While the vote was unanimous, not all members of the court were fully sold on the idea.
Commissioner Pct. 4 Stephen Germann raised questions about whether the county should commit to such a project. Germann pointed to his recent visit to the Humane Society of New Braunfels, saying that stronger partnerships with community rescue groups could present alternative solutions for use of the animal facility.
“I was looking for the Comal County Shelter and it does not exist. I was looking for the New Braunfels Shelter and it does not exist because they both contract with the humane society who provides the facility. Basically, it is built the same way, except it does not have air conditioning. It’s just got those big fans like we have. And they take cats. But the way Comal County and New Braunfels does it is if they take a dog there, they just pay. I don’t know what that fee is but I’m just wondering if we couldn’t do something more efficiently with something like this than going right ahead with spending $3 million on a facility. I know we approved to hire an architect but I’m really thinking if we not ought to visit this thing again,” said Germann.
In defense of moving forward, Lt. Zach McBride of the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office – and — who was tasked by Sheriff Joshua Ray to assess, analyze, and research potential plans — told commissioners the county needed to take a realistic look at its own needs. He noted that comparisons to nearby shelters, such as to the one in New Braunfels, were not necessarily “apples to apples.”
“I’ll also tell you they are also looking at expanding their facilities because they’ve gotten to be where they also have capacity issues. One of the things that sets them apart also is their organization grassroots effort on their end that we do not have here in Guadlape county currently. Their own organization built that and then contracted with the cities. We do not have that here in Guadalupe County. The city of Cibolo just floated a bond; I think their facility is going to be closer to $9 million if I’m correct. Where we are different is New Braunfels and Schertz –it’s much smaller but they also have people that are dedicated to working with outside rescues and other entities that we do not currently have. So, it’s not so much about the facilities but it’s about getting facilities where people can work – where we can get these people in there,” said McBride.
McBride says the current facility just doesn’t have the space for those required volunteers.
He says the design phase simply gives the county a chance to fully evaluate the scope and cost of the project before any construction decisions are made.
Approval to move forward with architectural designs was granted to Level 5 Architecture. The current animal services facility for the county is located just north of the Guadalupe County Jail at 3021 N. Guadalupe St.