Augusta supervisors to sign $5.5 million animal shelter contract after fiery exchange

VERONA – A contract "not to exceed" $5.5 million for the Staunton, Augusta County, and Waynesboro animal shelter will be signed once the fine print is finalized.

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors approved County Administrator Timothy Fitzgerald to sign the contract once it's been finalized. The board took the vote before the contract was finalized to allow construction to begin sooner, rather than having to wait until the next supervisors meeting near the end of July.

The animal shelter serves Staunton, Augusta County, and Waynesboro. Each are contributing funds. The county is acting as the fiscal agent, meaning Staunton and Waynesboro do not need to ratify the contract as well before work can begin.

The bids came in higher than expected

The project bids were opened in February, each coming in higher than expected. Harman Construction, the low bidder, and the county worked on cutting things from the project to get the price down.

Harman’s initial bid was $6,809,271.50. The contract awarded last week is “not to exceed” $5,500,000. Augusta County’s portion of the contract is $3,735,304.

As a result of the price reduction, the following items were eliminated from the contract:

• Catios, indoor/outdoor patio for cats to come and go.

• Indoor/outdoor dog runs.

• New entrances to the animal holding pods.

• Electrical feeds to pod five and six.

• Parking lot improvements at the gym.

• Walkway canopy coverings.

• Electrical wiring will be exposed versus installed in the existing cinderblock walls.

• Brick repointing.

Assistant County Administrator Candy Hensley said there are additional costs to the renovation, outside the contract, totaling around $808,000. These costs were approved, including security cameras, furniture, signage, and administrative services for construction.

Public speakers but no public hearing

Unlike many of the other items on the agenda Wednesday night, the contract did not need a public hearing. Despite this, Chair Jeffrey Slaven decided to allow members of the public signed up to speak before the supervisors voted, rather than at the end of the meeting.

Former supervisor Tracy Pyles spoke first, criticizing both the project itself and the supervisor’s not bidding the contract again after the project scope changes.

“You didn’t spend enough time with this dog pound," said Pyles. "You have failed to mention how much it’s really going to cost the taxpayers of Augusta County. You have not included the cost of the Verona School.”

The shelter is being built from the former Verona Elementary School building. According to Supervisor Gerald Garber, the property, on the market after the school shut down in 2017, was nearly purchased before the deal fell through in 2022.

“It was on the market for, what, close to a year?” said Supervisor Gerald Garber. “I mean, it wasn’t a short period of time. So the world got a chance to say what it was worth to them.”

Pyles was also critical of the project’s finances, saying the money was coming from a Government Center expansion fund and that the account was short several million dollars to pay for the contract.

Fitzgerald later responded, saying a majority of the funds are from the American Rescue Plan Act, then the capital budget and money borrowed from the new Augusta County Courthouse project.

A second speaker supported the contract approval

Danny Link, who also spoke when the board updated its animal control ordinances, was critical of Pyles.

“He’s part of the responsibility for why we are in need of an animal shelter now,” said Link. “Twelve years ago, he was a key in having that shelter moved to Lyndhurst because they couldn’t work to reach an agreement with the SPCA.”

Link also said he wanted the dog runs, having “politic-ed” and campaigned for them during the project’s beginning stages. However, he was alright with the cut for one reason.

“I just don’t want to see this thing delayed any longer,” Link said. “It’s been six months now since the bids came in.”

He said the increasing costs of construction would mean a delay would further increase the price, maybe resulting in more cuts. Link also asked the supervisors to “take a bulldozer” to the current Lyndhurst building.

‘If you two want to talk, go out in the hall.’

Pyles asked to respond to Link, but Slaven answered no, saying everyone gets their time to speak.

According to The Daily News Leader’s coverage 2011 and 2012, negotiations fell through for a shelter contract with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). The SPCA had managed strays for about a decade before, taking over after controversy around the “poor state” of the county’s pound.

The SPCA initially asked for $500,000 for the year, but the county rejected the price. They dropped to $400,000, a $20,000 increase from the year before. According to the SPCA, then-supervisor David Beyeler wanted a $300,000 contract.

The contract was never signed. The former Happy Critter Resort was turned into the Shenandoah Valley Animal Services Center in 2011. At the time, both sides of the debate worried euthanasia rates would increase as a result of the county taking over services. The worry foreshadowed the controversy surrounding around the animal shelter over the past few years.

“It is your fault,” Link said.

“They were charging us $125 for every cat they killed,” Pyles responded.

Security moved closer to Pyles, an echo of when Pyles was escorted out of another supervisors meeting in July 2023.

“I should be allowed to respond to the man!” Pyles said.

“He did not confront you directly,” Slaven said. “If you two want to talk, go out in the hall. Danny, if you want to talk, go out in the hall. We ain’t doing it.”

To rebid or not to rebid?

After Pyles and Link left, the supervisors brought the issue to a vote.

Of Pyles's comments, Supervisor Michael Shull agreed with one argument.

“I just feel like it should have been put back out,” said Shull. “I know we’re in need of an animal shelter, but it’s over a million dollars more than what was anticipated.” When the bids came back, Shull argued, is when “it should have been reduced at that time and put back out to all of the companies who bid it and give them opportunity. I’m a firm believer in competitive bidding.”

Shull ultimately voted against approving the contract, citing his experience bidding on projects as a contractor.

“With all the deletions in there, how do you know that other companies would’ve have come back with a cheaper bid given the second opportunity?” Shull asked. “We’ve done that before. I owned some jobs, and the scope changed, and we have to go back and readjust the bids and things. We were given an opportunity to do that.”

Seaton agreed, saying he “choked” when he saw the initial bids and again “a little” when he saw the current contract price. Seaton asked if the county had considered building a new space.

Fitzgerald said the board discussed it, but moved forward with the school to both get the new shelter and preserve ongoing uses for the former school building that would need to be maintained. For example, the gym is still in use.

Supervisor Carolyn Bragg moved to approve the contract, and Vice Chair Pam Carter seconded.

Fitzgerald was authorized to sign the contract on a six to one vote, once the wording is finalized.

Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? It’s welcome through email to lbordelon@gannett.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Augusta to sign $5.5 million animal shelter contract after fiery exchange