There was no time for holes in Sundt’s grading plan for the Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson. With the region’s rainy season sitting smack in the middle of the construction timeline, all gaps needed to be filled.
Tucson’s monsoon begins in late June or early July. On average, the region receives half its 12 inches of annual rainfall during the summer, with the peak occurring between mid-July and mid-August.
Much of the rain comes in short, intense bursts, causing localized flooding. That’s a bad scenario for a building project since any holes that exist on the site become filled with water, forcing crews to pump it out. Standing water can also saturate the site, resulting in potential problems with a building’s foundation or stability.
To avoid the issue, all grading work around the building on the animal care site was completed in June, a few weeks before the typical start of the monsoon. The grading was completed with the rainy season in mind to avoid lost time resulting from stormy weather. Having as few holes as possible on site reduces standing water and wasted time spent getting rid of it.
The center has been around since 1968. When it opened, the region’s population was around 300,000. The center was built to accommodate 300 dogs and 100 cats at a time. Staff now takes in about 400 animals a week and has around 800 on site at any time.
The county has since climbed to more than a million residents. Accompanying that growth has been a critical need for a larger center for stray and abandoned pets.
We are constructing two new buildings on the site and renovating the existing facility. A tent that was put on the property to house animals because the current building lacks room will be removed. The new buildings are scheduled to open in late December. Renovations on the present facility will start soon afterward.