St. Cloud Council Weighs Turning School Locker Room Into Animal Shelter
ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- The St. Cloud City Hall may be going to the dogs.
City leaders are proposing renovating the former boys' locker room of the old Tech High School into an animal shelter. During Monday's meeting, the city council will hear a plan to spend up to $600,000 on the project.
Besides the animal shelter, other improvements as part of the project would address safety, security, accessibility, and the functionality of the lower level and other areas of City Hall. The city would use reserve funds to pay for the project.
St. Cloud began providing partial animal sheltering services in 2025. This change is estimated to have saved the city about $124,000. The estimated reduced expenditures for this year is about $152,000. The estimated annual savings will be about $170,000. That would result in a payback of less than three years for the animal shelter-related improvements. The Health and Inspections Division has also submitted a $100,000 grant application to the ASPCA to help with project costs. St. Cloud is also exploring partnerships with area cities to provide animal sheltering services. One area city has expressed interest, which would generate about $25,000 a year in additional revenue.
The city has contracted for outside sheltering services for many years leading to cost escalation, resident inconvenience, and staff inefficiencies.
Como Park Zoo
Gallery Credit: Paul Habstritt