DECATUR — The building for a new animal control facility in Decatur was completed last week.

The 2,025 square foot red iron building will hold 12 dog pens with runs and up to 20 dogs, according to animal control officer Mike Barnett. The city’s current animal control facility holds only four to six dogs.

The building should be ready to house canine tenants by 2012 and will eventually include storage space, offices and a bathroom, he said.

The facility is being built in stages to cut down on the impact of the cost on the city’s budget, police chief Terry Luker explained. In 2009, a concrete slab was poured for $5,500 by Pro-Concrete ofSulphur Springs, with city employees doing much of the plumbing and preparation work.

Local builder Tim Harrington erected the new building for a total cost of $16,500. Next year, the city has budgeted around $15,000 for building pens and fixtures for the dogs, with plans to complete the offices and bathrooms in subsequent years, Luker said.

The building will house two rows of 5-foot by 5-foot indoor concrete block pens with a walkway down the middle. Each pen will have a doggy door that leads to a 5-foot by 10-foot outdoor covered run.

The building should meet the city’s needs for at least the next 25 years and can be easily expanded if growth is needed, Barnett said.

News, Pages 2 on 11/16/2011