Meridian Construction Inc., of Spokane Valley, has won a $4.5 million contract to remodel a former Harley-Davidson dealership building on Trent Avenue into a regional animal control center for the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS).

Nancy Hill, SCRAPS director, says Spokane County Commissioners recently approved the selection of Meridian to begin improvements in early October to the 34,000-square-foot structure at 6815 E. Trent. Spokane-based ALSC Architects PS designed the project.

Hill says the agency is scheduled to move there by the end of April from its current 12,000-square-foot facility, located at 2521 N. Flora in Spokane Valley.

SCRAPS currently provides animal care and protection services to the unincorporated areas of Spokane County, and—through contracts—to the cities of Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Cheney, and Millwood. Effective Jan. 1, SCRAPS also will add the city of Spokane to its service area, under a new 20-year contract as a regional animal control provider.

Hill says SCRAPS is in the process of hiring 25 employees, doubling the size of its workforce, to prepare for the transition of handling the city of Spokane's animal control needs. SpokAnimal, located at 710 N. Napa, has provided Spokane's animal control service for decades, but beginning next year, it will offer adoption and spay-neuter clinic services only, she says.

"To take on the city of Spokane, that essentially doubles our service area," Hill adds.

Earlier this year, Spokane County purchased the former motorcycle dealership building and land for $1.7 million, after county commissioners approved agreements with both the cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley for a collaborative regional animal control endeavor.

The effort is envisioned as creating a one-stop shop where Spokane-area residents can find lost pets, adopt new ones, and buy licenses, while also unifying regulations and enforcement here, thus eliminating a lot of jurisdiction-related confusion.

Designs for the new center call for a 26,000-square-foot main level, with a small second floor of 2,300 square feet for offices and a mezzanine of 5,800 square feet for storage and mechanical equipment.

The new shelter is expected to be able to house up to about 100 dogs and 100 cats, Hill says.