The Ames City Council moved a step closer to spending $588,000 to hire architects to design a new animal shelter at 2715 Dayton Ave.
The project received a major boost from a $3 million anonymous donation and will replace the old, outdated shelter at 325 Billy Sunday Road. The council directed city staff to continue to revise the proposed agreement with the architects before the council could approve it, potentially in early August.
Major progress this year: The council bought the former Eagle’s Loft daycare building on Dayton Avenue for $1.1 million in February. The building will be turned into a modern animal shelter to replace the current facility, which is too small and has problems with heating, cooling and old equipment.
The city has been planning this new shelter for several years. In November 2024, staff learned the Dayton Avenue property was for sale, checked if it could work as a shelter and was given permission to buy it.
Design work moving forward: Invision Architecture from Des Moines will handle all the design work. The company received $66,360 in December 2024 to study what the new shelter needs and create early plans. Now the firm would get an additional $588,000 to finish the complete design, help with bidding for construction work and oversee the building process.
The architects would design everything the shelter needs, including dog kennels, surgical equipment and other items. The city could then ask different companies to bid on supplying these items separately.
Special features planned: The proposed new shelter will include several modern features. Architects will look at using underground heating and cooling systems and make sure the building can have solar panels added later. The design will also include energy-saving LED lights, quiet areas for the dog kennels, and keyless entry systems that work with the city’s current security equipment.
The shelter must meet state requirements from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and follow best practices recommended by veterinarian groups.
Timeline: The design drawings are expected to help with fundraising efforts. People and businesses can see exactly what they’re donating money for when looking at specific parts of the project.
The architects will also design extra features worth up to $1 million that could be added if fundraising goes better than expected or if construction bids come in lower than planned. If these extras can’t be built right away, the plans could be used later when the community grows and needs more shelter space.
Moving ahead with this design contract means the project can go to bidding and start construction this winter.
