Dignitaries gathered on Wednesday to break ground for a new Animal Care and Adoption Campus in far north Fort Worth, adding capacity to the existing shelter in southeast Fort Worth.
The new facility is adjacent to the North Service Center and Drop-off Station at 301 Hillshire Drive. Construction is scheduled to be completed in January 2021.
Voters approved $13.7 million in the 2018 bond election to build the state-of-the-art facility. The current shelter was built in 1998.
The focus at the new shelter will be on open spaces. There will be an adoption center with plenty of space for potential adopters to meet pets; a veterinary clinic with surgery and triage units; sallyport for animal arrivals; open work spaces to enhance engagement among the staff caring for the animals; and plentiful indoor kennels with attached outdoor spaces.
This new campus is sorely needed in the fast-growing northern stretches of Fort Worth, Mayor Betsy Price said. “With all the rooftops and jobs being added north of 820, we really need a spacious and modern facility like this up here,” she said. “And its design is ideal because the open concept puts less stress on the animals and helps staff control diseases in the pet population.”
District 7 Councilmember Dennis Shingleton added: “This beautiful shelter is so needed. Now we will have a place in our own backyards where we can take care of our animals.”
North Texans may recognize the look of the buildings — they are inspired by the cattle barns at Will Rogers Memorial Center. The design focus is on the simplicity of nature, steel, concrete and glass. The eight-acre facility will be situated around an existing pond with a native prairie landscape.
