After an outpour of community support, the Evanston City Council on Feb. 27 approved an approximately $6.85 million contract with CCC Holdings, Inc. for the new Evanston Animal Shelter construction at 2310 Oakton Street.
“Based on the number of emails I’ve received alone, there is tremendous support for what we’re doing here,” Councilmember Jonathan Nieuwsma said. “I don’t think I’ve (ever received) this many emails in favor of anything (before).”
Despite its approval, a memo from Project Manager Shane Cary says the project’s original budget falls short of this contract. Cary said the budget included $2 million from the Cook County Animal Shelter Grant Program, roughly $1.03 million from Evanston Animal Shelter Association donations, $1.5 million from the City of Evanston General Fund and roughly $2.17 million from the city’s Capital Improvement Fund 2023 General Obligation Bonds.
Cary’s memo states staff reached out to Cook County and the Evanston Animal Shelter Association to discuss addressing the cost overage. EASA agreed to fundraise an additional $200,000 and staff is working with Cook County to potentially secure an additional $850,000.
The memo also states there is funding available in the General Fund to cover budget shortfalls, but staff will only dig deeper into the General Fund if another funding source isn’t identified.
Evanston residents expressed concern during public comment about the project’s financial viability, especially considering it’s running over budget. Cary gave a presentation to City Council showing ways staff cut costs, such as removing 2,000 square feet from the building alongside reducing ornamental fencing and landscaping efforts. The high cost is attributed to inflation increasing costs by 27%, according to the memo.
Evanston is looking to build a new animal shelter as many residents and veterinary experts say the current building is no longer viable.
“I’ve been to their current facilities and can tell you firsthand it’s not sustainable and that’s coming from a health standpoint for the pets in their care,” Evanston Animal Hospital Veterinarian and Owner Gail Henry said. “It’s likely creating a lot of stress and can be detrimental to their health.”
The shelter’s current facilities are experiencing issues including kennel doors failing to latch, failing HVAC, lackluster natural light and no space for in-house medical procedures, according to Cary’s presentation. These issues are not going unnoticed and caught the eye of volunteers, too.
“As it stands today, the Evanston Animal Shelter is not a sustainable place for our animals — the HVAC system is failing, cabinets are breaking, makeshift kennels are set up in the bathrooms and there are leaks,” 15-year animal shelter volunteer Karen Norden told City Council. “The shelter is falling apart, where will our animals go if you vote no.”
The current facility was built in 1987 as a dog pound but was later transformed into a full-service animal shelter housing cats and dogs, according to a September 2022 report sent to Land Use Commission members by Evanston Planner Katie Ashbaugh.
City Council approved the contract with Councilmember Clare Kelly voting against it, citing financial concerns as rationale despite favoring the new shelter overall.
“I support the animal shelter, and having a new animal shelter, (but) I want to say … I’ve spoken to many residents and they support me in my concern about fiscal accountability … and doing this in the most cost-effective way,” Kelly said.
Corey Schmidt is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.