Davis County broke ground Nov. 4 on a new animal shelter in Fruit Heights, replacing a 1985 building that county officials say can no longer keep up with demand.
The new facility, called Animal Care of Davis County, will rise at 1422 E 600 N on the same 12-acre site as the current building, according to the Davis Journal. At 27,223 square feet, it will be more than double the existing 11,000-square-foot shelter. The county's only animal shelter took in more than 5,000 animals last year.
A dog named Todd made the first dig at the ceremony.
In coverage published Nov. 5, Davis County Animal Care Director Michelle Hicks told the Davis Journal, "Our community and our animals have waited over four decades for this moment." Hicks said the new shelter goes beyond kennels. "We are creating a place where dogs and cats aren't housed shoulder to shoulder, where exotic pets have dedicated care and where sick animals receive the modern medical attention that they need," she said.
The replacement shelter will include a veterinary clinic, an educational community room, more kennel space and fenced exercise areas, the Davis Journal reported. The building is also designed with separate entrances so people dropping off strays, adopting pets and searching for lost animals are not funneled into the same hallway, Hicks said.
Davis County Budget Committee minutes from an Oct. 9 meeting show the total estimated facility cost at $22.5 million, up from an original $16.5 million earmark. An additional $2 million is budgeted for road infrastructure. Controller Scott Parke proposed covering half the $6 million budget gap through the Animal Care tax rate over 10 years, using existing fund balances and revenues without a new tax increase for county residents.
Commissioner Lorene Kamalu told the Davis Journal that a feasibility study started more than five years ago. "It's been a ton of time by Ashleigh, a ton of time by Lane Rose … it's been a long journey and it's had a ton of support," Kamalu said, referring to former director Ashleigh Young and County Facilities Management Director Lane Rose.
Hicks credited Young with driving the project forward. "She saw the vision, generated the momentum and worked tirelessly every single day to ensure that this community got the shelter it deserves," Hicks told the Davis Journal.
The budget committee minutes also show Commissioner John Crofts raised concerns about seismic risk at the Fruit Heights site, citing its location along the Wasatch fault. Commissioner Bob Stevenson countered that the engineering report classified seismic risk in the explored areas as low and that further delays would drive up costs.
Layton Construction is handling the project. Volunteers logged nearly 8,000 hours at the shelter last year, according to the Davis Journal.
Completion is expected by mid-2028, ABC4 reported.
