Marion County & B+P Celebrate Groundbreaking of New Animal Shelter

Ground was officially broken on the new Marion County Animal Shelter yesterday!

Marion County will begin construction on their new 37,361 square-foot animal shelter following the groundbreaking that took place on October 30. Borrelli + Partners joined county and city officials along with Scorpio Construction for the groundbreaking ceremony. The shelter is projected to be complete by December 2025.

“I believe that is going to enrich the lives not only for the citizens of Marion County, as they’re choosing their new best friends, but also for the animals that we’re interested to care for,” said Marion County District 5 Commissioner & Chair Michelle Stone.

Principal-in-Charge Jorge A. Borrelli and Senior Associate Dan-Michael Trbovich were in attendance.

The 20-acre site will bring a much-needed, larger state-of-art facility to the animals of Marion County. Borrelli + Partners is providing architectural design services for the 37,361 square-foot facility, which will consist of a multi-building campus more than twice the size of the current facility. The new animal shelter will include 18,000 square feet of kennel space, separate cat and dog adoption areas, 24 play areas, a surgical suite with two operating tables, a reception area, various offices, and storage areas. Phase 1 includes a kennel count of 200 with a future addition of 200 kennels. The facility will also have the capacity for 40 cats and 24 feral farm cats—“Working Whiskers.” The goal is to create a New Animal Services Facility designed to increase adoption, enrichment, and service to the community. Construction is estimated to cost $22 million.

A very special helper assisted with handing off the shovel, and some of the shelter's dogs were brought out after the dig.

Learn more about the groundbreaking here.