Oklahoma City leaders and four adoptable dogs wearing cute construction worker costumes broke ground today on a 70,000-square-foot state-of-the-art animal welfare center.
The $42 million center, funded through MAPS 4, is critical to making OKC a safer and more welcoming place for residents and pets.
The new center will be named the Oklahoma City Louisa McCune Animal Welfare Center after the late Louisa McCune. McCune was a passionate advocate for animals. Through her work as Director of the Kirkpatrick Foundation, she was instrumental in securing MAPS 4 funding for the center. Mayor David Holt appointed her to serve on the MAPS 4 Neighborhood Subcommittee. McCune passed away in August from cancer.
“Louisa was a tireless advocate for animals, working to ensure they had humane living conditions,” Mayor David Holt said. “Her passion for helping both animals and people left a lasting impact on OKC, and it is appropriate to honor that legacy with this naming.”
The building, which is expected to open in 2027, will have four entrances, one for each service: adoption, intake, training and the clinic. The center’s layout will improve the building’s flow, safety and hygiene.
The new facility will feature separate cat and dog kennel wings designed to create quieter, less stressful spaces for pets awaiting adoption. Each kennel room will include windows so the animals get natural light. The new facility will more than double the number of dog kennels to nearly 550 and increase the number of cat condos to more than 300.
Plans also include outdoor play yards covered with artificial turf designed for exercise and socialization, a training room, meeting spaces for events and educational sessions, and a 2,800-square-foot barn and pasture.
The new center will be built behind the current shelter, 2811 SE 29th St. The old shelter will then be demolished.
HSE Architects and Connolly Architects designed the center, and the general contractor is Crossland Construction.
About MAPS 4
MAPS 4 is a debt-free public improvement program funded by a temporary penny sales tax that will raise a projected $1.07 billion over eight years. Oklahoma City voters approved the sales tax to fund MAPS 4 in a special election on Dec. 10, 2019, moving forward with a unique and ambitious plan to transform our community. The temporary penny sales tax funding MAPS 4 began April 1, 2020, and ends in 2028. More than 70 percent of MAPS 4 funding is dedicated to neighborhood and human needs. The rest is for quality of life and job-creating initiatives. The MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board and its six subcommittees will guide MAPS 4 planning and implementation, making recommendations to the City Council. The Council has final authority on MAPS 4. The MAPS Investment and Operating Trust developed a strategic investment plan to support long-term sustainable funding for MAPS 4 projects' operational expenses and maintenance. Visit okc.gov/maps4 for more.