As the cost of a new building at Manatee County’s Bishop Animal Shelter in Bradenton continues to rise, county commissioners have laid down their financial leg.

A $17 million estimate by county employees to construct a building in Bishop to triple the shelter’s 53 kennels was presented to commissioners on February 14 for the first time.

After the district commission approved the Bishop Animal Shelter’s donation in December 2021 and then took control of the facility the following March, the conversation focused on whether the district could close its existing 85-kennel shelter in Palmetto and whether to build a new facility would be needed in the Lakewood Ranch area.

Sarah Brown, department head for the county’s animal services, told commissioners that a centralized facility would best serve the county so animal services staff could work together more effectively, rather than being split across different facilities.

District 5 Commissioner Vanessa Baugh told Brown that the palmetto plant “definitely needs to be flattened.”

With $8 million in county funds diverted from a potential facility in the Lakewood Ranch area and earmarked for the Bishop Animal Shelter, the commissioners made it clear that they are committed to a centralized individual animal shelter.

However, the commissioners rolled their eyes when told that plans for a new building at the Bishop Animal Shelter had skyrocketed to $17 million. According to Tom Yarger, Manatee County Construction Superintendent, a $17 million facility would have consisted of about 15,000 square feet with 100 kennels.

As of March 2022, the donation of the Bishop Animal Shelter and associated 14 acres was estimated at $18 million.

Do taxpayers want a $35 million animal shelter?

“I see you need more kennels,” Baugh told Brown. “Right now we need to find an $8 million solution. Jokes aside, I don’t know if we can afford to give you more. I don’t see how we can add anything to that.”

Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge agreed.

“I don’t see more money coming into play here,” he said. “But we want to get you out of Palmetto.”

Commissioners urged county staff to come up with a plan for an $8 building at the Bishop Animal Shelter — and no more. They said when that plan is in place to return to the commission with a presentation.

At the February 14 meeting, the commissioners went through a list of capital improvement projects that had become far more expensive. The commissioners said they were not informed of the project’s grossly inflated costs by former administrator Scott Hopes.

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The animal services improvements were just one example of spending running amok and unbeknownst to the commissioners of the plans.

One of the arguments for building a shelter in the Lakewood Ranch area was that residents there would not use shelters in Palmetto or West Bradenton.

This was felt to be a problem as animal shelters could not rely on their fastest growing area to take in abandoned pets and thus make room for more pets.

Commissioner General Jason Bearden said the county should be able to overcome such a problem by increasing its marketing to the Bishop facility and by targeting residents of Parrish and the Lakewood Ranch area.

He said many people he spoke to didn’t know there was an animal shelter in Bradenton.

Van Ostenbridge said he spoke to Hopes about providing $500 in advertising money for Manatee County Animal Welfare’s public relations and events specialist, Hans Wohlfahrt, to refer residents of Parrish and Lakewood Ranch to the bishop could draw attention to.

In June 2021, then-Commissioner Carol Whitmore said the need to build an emergency shelter in East County was all about smart planning for the future in the face of a growing population. At the time, some commissioners suggested the county wait until the donated Bishop facility was operational for a period of time before making a decision.

The current Bishop facility includes a veterinary clinic and cat homes.

Yarger said the new Bishop facility would include an educational component but not a veterinarian component like the current building does.

He said a new building would need a lift station, as well as the standard ventilation for both dog and cat kennels, and enough plumbing for each kennel to have access to a drain and hose.

The construction of a new building would require the removal of much of an old building, originally constructed in the 1950s and renovated in the 1970s but which has since deteriorated.

Some of the bricks used in this building would be preserved for historical value.

Deputy Administrator Charlie Bishop talks about the shelter.

Photo by Ian Swaby

Assistant District Manager Charlie Bishop said while he could not elaborate on the project in its “quiet phase,” the district is preparing to select a project architect.

It is also being considered whether a new building must be hardened for hurricanes up to category 3 so that the animals do not have to be taken to another area in the event of a large storm.

The new building in Bishop is hardened.

Yarger estimated that not hardening the new building would save about 25% on construction.

Bishop said he recommended spending $50,000 to add double-throw separation so a generator could be activated by the flick of a switch in the event of a strong storm. The commissioners agreed that this was a good idea.

Manatee County Animal Services division chief Sarah Brown told commissioners that hundreds of thousands of dollars had been spent on the Palmetto facility’s “patch care.” She said that despite significant repairs, problems with the installation arise every day.

“It’s a money pit,” she said.

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