New animal shelter is planned in West Valley — mainly for cats, dogs

WEST VALLEY CITY — The lost animals of West Valley City could soon have a bigger, newer place to wait to be found.

Plans are in the works to start building a new, 12,000-square-foot animal shelter closer to the center of town as early as this spring in an effort to upgrade a majority of the services provided at the city's current, aging shelter.

"West Valley is long past due for a new shelter," said code enforcement supervisor Celia Kenney. "Everything in the current building is just aged. It needs repairs. ... The cages all need to be replaced or repaired, and the wiring and lighting and things like that need to be fixed. It's time."

Improving West Valley City's animal shelter is the top priority for a task force of city employees who are organized to examine all of the needs of the city and figure out how to fix what needs fixing. The task force's second priority is to plan for a police department storage facility where vehicles and evidence can be stored. The city currently rents space for storage.

The city's existing animal shelter isn't in a much better situation. West Valley City agreed to handle Taylorsville's animal control services in July, and since then, some animals have been housed in temporary shelters.

"We've had a need for a while," said West Valley City attorney Richard Catten. "We've known we've had a need that we needed to address."

City talks on what to do with the shelter started about three years ago, Catten said, and the task force was formed this summer. It was determined that it would be better to build a new shelter than renovate the old shelter, Catten said.

The city plans to spend $3 million on the project and include office space for the ordinance enforcement department in the building. The city expects to choose an architect for the shelter this month, at which point the City Council will take the first official step and approve any building contracts that are necessary.

When the new shelter is complete, it will house mostly cats and dogs. Larger animals, like horses and cows, will continue to be held at the city's current shelter, at 4063 S. 7200 West, where there will be more outdoor space than at the new shelter.

The task force has pinpointed a piece of land in City Park as a possible location for the new shelter. The land, located at about 4200 West and 3500 South, is located on a major road and should help to make the shelter more visible to the public, Catten said.

The shelter has a healthy adoption rate, but in its current, more rural location, it is harder for customers to get to, Catten said.

"(3500 South) is a good location for our animal control officers to get anywhere in the city rather quickly," Catten said. "From an adoption standpoint, it will be easier to access."

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