Provided by Prince William County
The Board of County Supervisors recently heard an update of the status of several capital improvement projects happening in the county. One of them was the construction of a new animal shelter.
Animal Shelter
Tom Bruun is the director of the county’s Department of Public Works. He said that plans for the new animal shelter are moving forward, albeit a bit delayed. Delays in the design phase and high construction bids pushed back the start and completion dates by about six months.
The lowest bid for construction of the new animal shelter exceeded the department’s construction budget of $10.5 million by $2.7 million. The county received bids for the project in November 2019. The department has been working for several months with Taft Construction, the lowest bidder, to find ways to reduce costs without compromising square footage or overall operations, Bruun said.
Some of the cost saving measures include decreasing site development, modifying the roof, making changes in mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, paving less of the gravel parking lot, substituting interior furnishings, leaving out a new barn and making changes to interior kennel surfaces, Bruun said.
Once cost savings are finalized, the department will bring the estimates to the board for permission to award a contract and begin construction. The job should be completed, and the doors open, within 18 months after the board gives the go-ahead. Bruun said the project could be completed by the fall of 2021, if the board awards a contract within the next few weeks. The original completion date was set for February 2021.
The shelter is slated to have 156 dog kennels and 106 cat kennels. It would be built according to the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.
Other Projects
Other projects happening in the county include Fire and Rescue Station 6 on Dumfries Road, which is now fully operational, according to Bruun. The last remaining task left to complete the project is the reinternment of remains from a cemetery that was on the construction site and excavated before construction began. Bruun said the county is working closely with the families to care for the remains and the project should be completed by this spring.
Fire and Rescue Station 22, off Balls Ford Road in Gainesville, started in November. The project is well under way with the footers and foundation in place, Bruun told the board. The $10.2-million project is scheduled to be completed in January 2021.
The bulk of the expansion to the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center is completed and the focus is now on interior work. Prince William County is eligible for a 50 percent reimbursement from the state for the construction costs of the $50.3-million expansion. The project, which will add 204 beds to the jail, is scheduled to be completed in July.
County Supervisors also saw a presentation on a number of Prince William Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department projects.
