29/12/2022
Torrington’s new animal control facility nearly done!
BY SLOAN BREWSTER REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN December 28, 2022
TORRINGTON – The city’s new animal control facility is nearly complete.
Public works Director Ray Drew said the building, which sits adjacent to the current aging facility on Bogue Road, has been built and the parking lot is paved.
Drew said he is waiting for some electrical equipment, the heating system and equipment for the kennels, which he said have been delayed due to the supply chain issue plaguing the country.
Smaller pieces that need to be done include painting strips in the parking lot and grass seeding, which is slated for spring, Drew said.
“It looks great so far,” he said. “It’s been going well, other than the equipment delays.”
Construction began in March, Drew said.
The city received a message this month that a $1.1 million grant package from the U.S. Department of Agriculture should arrive in the next couple weeks, he noted. That was the final piece of funding needed to pay the $2.7 million construction costs, plus ancillary spending such as engineering fees, Drew said. Officials worked with U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, to procure the funds.
The nearly completed animal control facility in Torrington sits beside the old one. On Dec. 20, the new facility awaited some equipment, seeding for grassy areas and strips for the parking lot. Sloan Brewster Republican-American
In a November 2018 referendum, the city approved up to $1 million in bonding for the facility.
The project stalled for years after the initial bids came in at almost double what was planned. In the summer of 2019, the lowest of six bids came in at $1.9 million.
Attempts at seeking grant funding failed. Last year, the city hoped it would receive funding through the federal appropriations process and went out to bid again in May 2021. The lowest bid was from Brunoli.
As the federal funding process lagged, the city shifted to another federal source: the American Rescue Plan Act. The city is using $1 million in ARPA money and $750,000 in capital reserves set aside in the budget.
Drew said he is looking to complete the final punch list on the building in early March 2023.
Built in the 1960s, the old building has failed state Department of Agriculture inspections for years due to cracked concrete surfaces, an improper sewage system, unsafe grounds, and its kennel and dog-run spaces are smaller than state regulations.
The facility, which is next to the wastewater treatment facility in Harwinton, had been slightly modified since its early days and has fallen into a state beyond repair, city officials have said.
The facility, which is in charge of storing evidence in criminal cases and holding animals while legal proceedings occur, also serves the towns of Goshen and Litchfield.
