On Tuesday, the community has a chance see to what $22 million in Pima Animal Care Center bonds will buy.
A design concept for the new facility, created by county consultant Line and Space, will be available for public viewing from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Pima County Health Department Abrams Public Health Center, 3950 S. Country Club Road.
In 2014, voters approved construction of a new animal-care center to replace the overcrowded and aged PACC facility on North Silverbell Road.
County officials and architects with Line and Space plan to present the proposal to the public and discuss elements of the design.
The new facility is expected to incorporate modern working efficiencies to replace the current animal shelter, which was built in the 1960s.
Some of the efficiencies county officials plan for include modern designs for kennels that provide safer living environments for dogs and also allow workers better access for cleaning.
Improved medical facilities are also planned.
The current facility usually houses more than 800 animals a day, with numbers frequently increasing as the county moves toward a no-kill shelter model.
Construction of the new facility is scheduled for late 2016.
The county recently purchased a property adjacent to the current shelter, at 4000 N. Silverbell Road, from Tucson Electric Power for about $110,000.
Sale of another adjacent property, this one owned by the city of Tucson, is under negotiation.
One or both of the sites would house the animal-care facility and administrative offices.
The county still has to complete archaeological examination on the additional sites.
It is unknown if archaeologically significant sites are present at either property, but the Silverbell corridor as a whole has many known Hohokam settlement areas.
County documents discussing the proposed land purchase note that a nearby archaeological find, dating from between about 1000 and 1450, was excavated in the 1970s.
Whether anything lies beneath the surface is unknown. County officials, however, estimate excavation costs could run about $200,000, based on the known costs of such work and past settlement densities found in the area.
Supervisors meeting canceled
The Board of Supervisorsβ Tuesday meeting has been canceled for lack of a quorum, as two supervisors will be in Washington, D.C., meeting with national leaders, and another had a death in the family.
Supervisor Richard ElΓasβ father, Albert, died Oct. 16. Albert ElΓas was a fourth-generation Tucsonan who owned a print shop for many years.
The elder ElΓas was also an advocate in the community for worker and Latino rights.
