Cowlitz County staff seek approval to buy $200,000 prefabricated animal-control kennel

Cowlitz County public‑services staff on Wednesday asked the county board to approve purchase and placement of a prefabricated animal‑control kennel at a county property, describing the unit as a faster, more flexible option than retrofitting an existing maintenance shed.

"I am asking for the board's approval to move forward with the purchase and placement of a pre‑fabricated kennel," Savannah Clement, public services staff, told commissioners as she introduced the item and called Sheriff Thurman to the podium for questions.

Clement said the vendor quote’s base price is about $164,000 and that the total project cost is roughly $200,000 once sales tax, stamped engineered plans required for Washington state (about $6,000) and other shell‑work adjustments (around $7,400) are added. The vendor price, she said, includes delivery. Clement told the board the county sourced vendor options through a General Services Administration (GSA) contract, which allows the county to "piggyback" the procurement without running a separate competitive bid.

Sheriff Thurman said the unit under consideration is a 12‑unit kennel and that the county currently operates an eight‑kennel unit at the jail plus a four‑unit used unit kept for overflow; adding the prefab unit and two standalone quarantine kennels would raise total kennel capacity to roughly 24–26 animals. "We still have our eight kennel unit at the jail," Thurman said, describing how the new unit would fit the county’s operations.

Board members asked detailed questions about line items and specifications, including a questioned $2,500 charge for stainless‑steel bowls. Staff told commissioners that the vendor’s line‑item pricing reflects mounted bowls with brackets and hardware and that the county could remove that line from the vendor order and purchase bowls separately if it wanted.

Clement said the chosen unit measures about 14 by 54 feet and is configured for 12 interior kennels with exterior runs; staff also flagged construction upgrades such as heavier framing and enlarged dog doors that reflect state requirements. She said a prefab unit is quicker to deploy than a full retrofit and retains resale value if the county later discontinues shelter operations at the site.

On financing, Clement said the department was budgeted $134,000 this year for professional expenses and had spent roughly $115,000 so far; she said staff could confidently allocate $75,000 from that balance toward the project. She also referenced other potential funding sources and partners without formalizing a plan, noting that additional funds would be required to cover the remaining cost and that nearby cities could consider cost‑sharing or future expansion to offset operations.

Staff also reported they have begun work on a request for qualifications to contract with animal care providers — including cat and specialty animal partners — and said they might hold an outreach session to explain government procurement requirements to nonprofit partners.

There was no formal motion or recorded vote on the purchase during the session. Clement said she believed she had "three agrees" from the board and that staff would finalize several outstanding questions, email the commissioners a final vendor quote and return at a future workshop with site‑preparation and utility‑connection cost estimates before placing an order. She said lead time for this size unit is longer than the six‑to‑eight‑week range advertised for smaller units, so staff will coordinate site work to be complete before delivery.

A separate constituent concern surfaced when Clement relayed a phone call from a resident who was told the county had not renewed a contract with the Humane Society; Clement said that information was incorrect and that the county has referral options, including the local group "Nine Lives and More." Clement said staff would correct public messaging if needed.

The board did not take formal action during the meeting. Clement told the commissioners she would follow up with the finalized quote and the additional site‑work cost estimates; the meeting adjourned afterward.