Case Study:
Wilson County Animal Control

fastest growing county in the state of Tennessee

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Serving One of the Fastest-Growing Counties in the South

Wilson County Animal Control serves three-quarters of the population in Wilson County, focusing primarily on the unincorporated areas of Wilson County and the City of Watertown. Located within the Nashville Metropolitan area, the county is one of the fastest-growing in the southern United States and the fastest-growing in the State of Tennessee.

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In addition to lost and found services, pet adoption is a vital component of the work at Wilson County Animal Control. They love being able to adopt their dogs to the best loving homes possible.

 

Steve Gatlin serves as the Animal Control Director at Wilson County Animal Control and oversees facility decisions. With a background in residential construction, family ties to a lumber company, and experiences building homes, he certainly is not new to the building design and construction process.

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Dramatic Growth Fueling a Renovation and Addition

Along with the title of ‘fastest growing county in the state of Tennessee’ comes an increase in services needed from the Wilson County Animal Control team. And, with that in mind, the existing building struggled to satisfy the service needs and lacked modern approaches to animal care.

 

“Wilson County has seen dramatic growth in the past 15 years, and our facility was built to serve a much smaller population and was built with old technology and methods in mind,” Steve shares. Steve and the Wilson County Animal Control team were ready to explore building renovation and expansion.

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Partner with Animal Care Building Experts

With a building renovation and addition in mind, he attended Humane World for Animals’ (formerly “Humane Society of the United States) Animal Care Expo. While at the Expo, he participated in the Barkitecture seminar that Scott facilitated and Design Learned sponsored.

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I felt most comfortable with Scott.

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Steve shares, “After attending the seminar, I felt like a design firm with an animal care background would be important for us. Of the people I talked to at the Expo, I felt most comfortable with Scott. I interviewed some local design and engineering firms and, after considering our options, felt that Scott was who I wanted to work with.”

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Animal-First Solutions For Animal Control Facilities​

Animal control facilities have additional considerations when making design and engineering decisions.

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Budget for Public Building Renovations

 

For one, the budget for a public building renovation and expansion often differs from that of other private animal care facilities, such as veterinary clinics, animal shelters, or doggy daycares. Animal control facilities usually have a more restricted budget to keep. By working with the Design Learned team of building engineers and animal care experts, decision makers at Animal Control facilities can rest assured that the designs and plans provided by the team will adhere to animal care while meeting budget limitations.

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Municipal Approvals

 

Another critical consideration is municipal approvals. Animal control facilities often fall under the county’s Planning Commission. It is typically the animal control director’s responsibility to convince the commissioners of the importance and viability of the project to obtain public funds. By working with the Design Learned team of building engineers and animal care experts, decision-makers at animal control facilities have confidence that the building designs will incorporate animal care best practices while integrating specific Planning Commission requirements and helping to educate county staff on the complexity of this building type. Design Learned often attends commissioning and zoning meetings to assist clients in their presentations.

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Future-Proofing the Design Process

 

A third benefit of working with the Design Learned team, comprising building engineers and animal care experts, is that they understand how to future-proof the design process. As municipalities, such as Wilson County, continue to grow and serve a larger population, their building needs expand. Having a building design and engineering plan that intentionally allows for future expansion provides peace of mind to decision makers.

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Ability to Move Our Program Forward

 

With Wilson County Animal Control in mind, Steve shares, “It was important to me that we designed a building that included as much modern animal care tech as possible. Also, the design of an expandable facility that can be used well into the future. Also, a facility that has a positive impact on our ability to move our program forward as efficiently as possible. I think a design firm that understands current animal care methods is crucial for us.”

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Making the Process Easier

 

“Having experts who understand animal care needs for HVAC, plumbing, etc... makes this process much easier on all of us…I am overall positive about our experience,” Steve shares.

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The value of working with the Design Learned team is priceless.

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Here are just a few of the Wilson County Animal Control experiences from the Design Learned team:

 

• Providing industry-specific knowledge for animal care buildings

 

• Reviewing design options and providing cost implications for decisions

 

• Value engineering to meet budget requirements while maintaining animal care standards

 

• Consulting on best practices and modern animal care technology

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The Design Journey

 

After meeting at the Animal Care Expo, Steve and the Design Learned team had multiple conversations to ensure everyone was on the same page regarding the needs of Wilson County Animal Control. From there, Scott and the Design Learned team of building experts provided a series of support items:

 

• Needs assessment

 

• Review of the existing proposed building

 

• Programming for the renovation and expansion

 

• Floor planning options

 

• Multiple opinions of probable construction cost based on requests from Wilson County Animal Control

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Once the Design Learned team completed the initial schematic planning services, they went to work on the next phase of the project. This phase included several steps as well:

 

• Full interior planning and architectural design

 

• Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and noise control engineering

 

• Equipment and caging recommendations

 

• Management and coordination of the civil engineer, structural engineer, and construction manager during design

 

• Multiple bid packages for various project pieces based on budgetary restraints

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At the time of writing this case study, the project is out for bid for the construction phase.