March 11, 2014
By Bob Balgemann
Reporter
BELVIDERE - The Boone County Board may decide in April which architectural firm is hired to build a new animal control services department building.
Four firms are being asked to submit proposals for a 3,000 square-foot building to be constructed on county-owned land on the east side of Illinois 76, just south of Spring Creek Road, which houses the county highway department complex.
The proposals would include future additions that ultimately would produce a 6,500-square-foot building.
Mark Schmidt, senior principal for Knapp Schmidt Architects in Wisconsin, presented his feasibility study to the health and human services board at its March 6 meeting.
A 2,600-square-foot building, one of several options in the report, would replace the current county facility at 1230 S. Appleton Road.
The 3,000-square-foot building also would include space for cats, a few more dogs and a sallyport. The absence of room for cats has been a continuing concern of department Supervisor Roger Tresemer and programs director Jacqui Mitzelfelt.
Schmidt, whose company is one of the four finalists for the job, was asked to leave the room while the committee discussed what steps should be taken next. One possibility was to consider recommending to the full county board that Knapp Schmidt be hired for the entire job.
Out of fairness to the other three firms that still were interested in the project,, committee member Kenny Freeman said all of them should be given an opportunity to submit proposals. They won't be reinterviewed and their proposals would use information contained in the feasibility study Knapp Schmidt did for the county, at a cost of $3,500.
"That will put us back another month," committee Chairman Paul Larson said. "But it will give us time to investigate the utility work."He was referring to the cost of hooking into the city of Belvidere's water and sewer lines, which are in the area and already serve the nearby Maple Crest nursing home.
Committee members agreed that well and septic were not the best option for the building.
Before the unanimous vote was taken to proceed, committee member Bill Pysson raised the question of where the money would come from to construct the new building. He suggested the county finance committee look at how to finance a $500,000 construction cost for the 2,600-square-foot building in the feasibility study.
"I question whether the $5 (increase in the dog registration fee) will be enough," he said.
Earlier in the meeting county Administrator Ken Terrinoni said early returns on the recently imposed, higher registration fee, show it generated $3,000. But he told the committee it still was early in the new fiscal year and not to be worried at this point.
Resident Robert Christianson, who has been advocating a new animal control building, said from the audience that financing should be considered right away, because interest rates are starting to go up.
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