St. Clair County may pitch in more for new Animal Control building in Belleville
St. Clair County may put another $1 million in federal COVID-19 relief money toward constructing a new animal control building, which officials recently estimated to be a $16 million project.
The County Board already allocated $4.3 million from its share of relief funds in May 2023. It passed a resolution on Oct. 28 that allows it to redirect the additional funding from another previously-planned project.
The county had planned to contribute $1 million for the “acquisition and improvement of properties for improved health outcomes, hospitality and recreation to be committed to public use.” County Board Chairman Mark Kern said at the time the county planned to purchase park land.
One member was absent from the Oct. 28 meeting: Democrat Jerry Dinges, of District 15.
In response to citizen questions at a Nov. 6 public hearing about the draft 2025 budget, Kern clarified that the October resolution would only take effect if the county isn’t able to sign a contract with American Legion Post 58 to purchase the Freedom Farm by the end of the year. The county wants to turn that property into a county park using COVID money.
The end of 2024 is the federal deadline for municipalities to finalize their plans for COVID money. They have until the end of 2026 to spend it all.
“We just wanted to make sure that there would still be a use for that money and that we wouldn’t lose those funds,” Kern said of the resolution in an interview after the hearing.
The animal control project is already underway, with architectural designs completed.
The county is currently accepting bids for construction of the new building at 1123 Comwest Parkway in Belleville. It expects to choose a contractor by Nov. 21.
The Public Building Commission, which manages county-owned properties, approved a resolution at its Oct. 17 meeting that will allow it to issue bonds to help finance the project.
St. Clair County Buildings Director Jim Brede and Bill Reichert, the architectural and planning adviser for the Public Building Commission, said this month that $16 million is their latest estimate for the total cost of the project. To date, $1.9 million has been spent on the land and building design.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
