FAYETTEVILLE — A political group says the estimated $150-per-square-foot price tag for the future Washington County animal shelter, or $1.05 million, is too much.
The Washington County Tea Party sent its members to listen in on the Quorum Court’s public meetings for several months. It has listened to the funding discussions between the Quorum Court and the county’s Animal Concerns Advisory Board, said Mike Landry, party spokesman.
The county hopes to open a 7,000 square foot shelter Jan. 1 after Fayetteville told the county and smaller cities it can no longer house stray animals found outside city limits.
“Washington County Tea Party recognizes a need for the county shelter,” Landry said. “Our only concern is the cost. We think the shelter could be built for less than $150 a square foot.”
Claudette Cardwell, advisory board chairwoman, said her volunteer group compared other animal shelter construction costs in the Midwest and Southern areas of the country. They averaged the costs of other shelters and also consulted with a local architect, she said.
County Judge Marilyn Edwards, Cardwell and other county staff met Wednesday with the three architectural finalists out of 16 looking to land the shelter project. Cardwell said all three firms estimated between $150 and $175 per square foot.
“I may be very liberal as far as my social views, but I’m very conservative financially,” Cardwell said. “The numbers that we received today were in line with the projected estimate that the board gave the Quorum Court based on previous research.”
The three architectural firms are AFHJ Architects and Planner, deMx Architecture and McGoodwin Williams and Yates. All three firms are based in Fayetteville.
“I still think $150 (per square foot) really sounds high,” Landry said after learning the three firm’s price estimates.
Justice of the Peace Tom Lundstrum, a Republican, said he’s listened to Tea Party concerns about the shelter after Quorum Court meetings. Lundstrum is the county’s Public Works Committee chairman. The committee oversees county infrastructure, like county buildings.
“I think the main function of the Quorum Court is its stewardship of the people’s money,” Lundstrum said. “I want the best facility at the bottom dollar.”
Justice of the Peace Candy Clark, a Democrat, leads the county’s Finance Committee. She said the county is sitting on $10.9 million in reserve. The shelter will be paid from that reserve.
“We’re not taxing anybody,” Clark said. “There will be no special taxes or no burden on the taxpayer at all to fund a county service that is needed.”