Upgrades to Animal Management Centre set to begin

Published: 28 Oct 2020

Council is looking forward to progressing with upgrades to its Animal Management Centre (AMC) after awarding the tender to WHF Group Pty Ltd at today’s council meeting.

WHF Group Pty Ltd represented the best value for money and the group has the experience, capacity and resources needed to complete this important project for our community.

Mayor Greg Williamson said the project would include the demolition of the existing structure and the construction of three interconnected buildings, a car park and culverts, and the installation of new infrastructure services.

“The new facility will be three times the size of the existing Animal Management Centre and the work will bring the facility into line with current animal management standards,” he said.

“The new dog enclosures have been designed with improved health and safety features, allowing staff to clean one side of the enclosure at a time so they don’t have to be in the enclosure with a dog.

“We will also be incorporating a range of changes to improve the experience for animals including larger cages for cats called cat condos, background music for the animals and improved security measures such as CCTV cameras throughout the facility.

“The customer experience will also be improved by providing more space for residents to interact with pets before deciding to adopt them.”

Mayor Greg Williamson said the upgrades would allow council to better cater for demand into the future.

“Prior to COVID-19 restrictions, the Animal Management Centre would reach capacity two to three times per month,” he said.

“The upgraded facility will include 42 dog enclosures (increased from 18 in the current facility) and 22 cat condos (increased from nine cat cages in the current facility).

“This is a great result for the community, as it means we will be less likely to reach capacity and can provide the best possible care for abandoned animals.”

Work on the new Animal Management Centre is expected to commence from mid-November and will take about 10 months to complete.

The current facility will continue to operate as normal during the construction period.

The two new buildings will be built on a vacant parcel of land next to the current facility before the existing AMC is demolished and the third and final building is constructed.

This facility is jointly funded by council and the Queensland Government’s Building our Regions Fund.

If you would like to adopt a pound pet, please visit Pound Pets webpage to see what animals are currently available for adoption.

Council encourages responsible pet ownership and encourages pet owners to register their animals so they can be returned as quickly as possible should they come into council’s care at the AMC.