Monday, March 3, 2025
Velocity
This story originally ran on VeloCityOKC.com.
MAPS 4 has brought significant improvements to Oklahoma City, benefiting both residents and visitors. With new attractions, enhancements to public facilities, infrastructure upgrades and much more, the program has helped enhance quality of life and shape the city’s future. While MAPS 4 has made strides for the city's human residents, it has come to an exciting time to address the needs of its animals.
City leaders and animal welfare staff recently broke ground on a new 70,000-square-foot, world-class animal welfare center. The new facility is a key part of the city's ongoing efforts to prioritize animal welfare alongside other vital community needs.
The original animal welfare building was constructed in 1996 and is due for an upgrade. The new facility is designed to transform how the community approaches animal welfare, improving care for animals, as well as conditions for staff and volunteers. The new facility will more than double the number of dog kennels to nearly 550, with over 300 cat condos.
The facility was designed by HSE Architects and Connolly Architects, who were presented with the unique challenge of designing for the purpose of being built on the existing site, which meant operations in the original facility would continue during construction. The architect’s construction plan ensured the ongoing operations of the animal welfare center would not be disrupted.
Constructed by Crossland Construction, the facility will be built in two phases. Phase one will consist of constructing the main shelter, while phase two will rebuild the 2,800-square-foot barn, improve the pasture, add more parking and remove the old facility. This approach ensures minimal disruption for the animals, allowing them to transition before demolishing the old building.
Mayor David Holt spoke of his excitement for the new facility, stating, “Obviously, humans need animals, and this project will meet the needs of both our city's animals and its residents. We want OKC’s animals to lead great lives because they bring joy and happiness to our lives.”
Holt even shared his own experience with the existing shelter, which is where his family adopted their dog, Logan. “I thought about bringing Logan here today, but I thought it might be too much for him because Logan spent some time here at the existing shelter,” Holt said. Before his adoption, Logan was diagnosed with parvo and slated to be euthanized. Bella SPCA, a nonprofit partner of the animal shelter, saved him. The Holts found him at a Bella event at PetSmart and adopted him immediately. “Logan's life was saved, but Logan's a good example of the pressures that will help to be alleviated by this new shelter,” Holt said.
Holt drew attention to the deeper significance of the development, stating that it is not only a nicer facility, but it will help address critical capacity issues driving decisions about euthanasia at the current facility. When the shelter reaches capacity, staff can’t accept more animals, sometimes leading to euthanasia decisions that might not have needed to be made otherwise. The new facility will have more space to alleviate these pressures and create a more welcoming environment for adoptions.
“What you see in the renderings is not only new, but also on a whole other level, as it should be,” Holt said. “MAPS is transformational. We put forward dollars in MAPS to build things that are truly world-class, and that's what we're going to do here.”
Holt emphasized the new facility will be very impactful because it will make a difference in the community's ability to save animal lives, which will then enhance human lives.
At the groundbreaking, Holt also shared a piece of exciting information concerning the name of the new facility. Holt said Louisa McCune played a key role in getting the project included in MAPS 4. During the development of this initiative, the city wasn’t sure there would be enough support for the project due to other competing interests.
Kelley Barnes, vice president of Patrons of the OKC Animal Shelter, remembers standing with McCune on the steps of City Hall as she led the charge for “Paws for MAPS 4.” McCune addressed the mayor and City Council, saying, “Where animals fare well, people fare well.” McCune secured enough support to move forward to City Council hearings, where voters approved of the project with 72% support.
McCune’s contribution didn’t stop there; she served on the MAPS 4 subcommittee overseeing the shelter's implementation. When McCune passed away last year, many individuals suggested honoring her with this project in some way.
Recently, the City Council unanimously approved a new name for the shelter: the Oklahoma City Louisa McCune Animal Welfare Center. This name honors McCune’s legacy and vision, reflecting that the facility is more than a shelter—it’s a center for animal welfare.
“The new title speaks not just to her influence on this specific project, but the work she had done for many years around animal welfare locally and nationally,” Holt said.
The city, community partners, animal welfare staff and volunteers will continue to fight for animal wellbeing in OKC, honoring McCune’s legacy. Whether it’s supporting shelters or advocating against animal cruelty, their efforts reflect the city’s commitment to improving the lives of animals.
