Brooklyn Park Council OK’s New Animal Control Facility
There’s a big new project coming to the Brooklyn Park Police Department: an animal control facility.
The $5 to $6 million facility is planned for construction at the north precinct, located at 5400 85th Ave. N.
“Right now, we have a good idea of Brooklyn Park and what our growth is and what we see for the future,” said Brooklyn Park Police Inspector Toni Weinbeck. “So we’re able to build this facility for our capacity and what our needs are.”
Currently, Brooklyn Park is part of a seven-city joint-powers agreement with an organization called Pets Under Police Security (PUPS).
The PUPS facility, located at 11350 89th Ave. N. in Maple Grove, is often overcapacity and is in need of updates and expansion.
That project is expected to cost between $5 to $7 million. With Brooklyn Park’s police contributing about 44% of the animals in the facility, the city would be obligated to pay about $3.2 million.
Likewise, Brooklyn Park’s annual contribution to operations would double.
Currently, Brooklyn Park is part of a seven-city joint-powers agreement with Pets Under Police Security (PUPS) in Maple Grove. The city council approved plans to withdraw from the organization and build a new animal control facility.
Meanwhile, cities like Maple Grove are continuing to develop new housing and are likely to send an increasing number of strays to the facility.
As a result, the Brooklyn Park City Council gave city staff the go-ahead to pull out of the PUPS agreement.
According to Weinbeck, the new facility should cut down on the time the department’s cadets spend dealing with strays. It will also be more convenient for Brooklyn Park residents who are picking up a found animal.
“If we were to look at the numbers we’re probably saying about 30 minutes each call that they’re taking for animal complaints. They’re actually going into Maple Grove. That’s a huge piece of it, is that now our staff is going to stay within our city,” Weinbeck said.
The council voted unanimously to move ahead with the plans at its July 21 meeting.
