Groundbreaking date set for Marion County’s new animal shelter

[Marion County]

Marion County has set a date for the groundbreaking for the new animal shelter, which will allow for increased space and services provided by Marion County Animal Services.

The groundbreaking will take place on Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. Attendees can park at the Marion-Alachua Dog Training Association at 6600 NW Third Place, Ocala.

“Animal Services plans to modernize and upgrade its facilities at SE 66th Street to increase capacity and continue supporting Marion County’s no-kill initiative,” according to the county.

The new facility will also hold a high-volume spay and neuter clinic.

“This will support Animal Services’ mission of ensuring public safety through enforcement of animal control regulations and improving quality of life for Marion County residents and their pets,” according to the county.

The county has listed the new animal shelter as one of the funding priorities for the penny sales tax if it is renewed and would need to allocate about $20.4 million for the entire project.

The penny sales tax was first approved in 2016 to raise the sales tax to 7% to fund infrastructure and public safety improvements. It was renewed again in 2020 for four years and will now appear on the November general election ballot when voters will be asked to approve the tax for another 20 years.

In May, the County Commission allocated an initial $5,270,500 from the Infrastructure Surtax Capital Project fund reserves toward the project. Of the reallocated money, $4.75 million was intended for early start site work, such as clearing the site and doing other preparatory work for the beginning stages of construction.

The remaining portion was for ordering a generator for $145,000, ordering main switch gear for $150,000 and ordering HVAC equipment for $225,000.