Boston Awards $300,000 in Design Contracts for Animal Shelter and Community Centers

Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip6176 · Meeting of July 22, 2026

Boston approves $300,000 in design study contracts for a new animal shelter and two community centers. The Public Facilities Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to award a $100,000 contract to Rojas Friedenfeld and Associates LLP to assess siting options for a new city animal shelter at Franklin Park, replacing the existing facility at 26 Mahler Road in Roslindale, and a $200,000 contract to UTL Incorporated for programming and siting studies for new Boston Centers for Youth and Families community centers in Dorchester and Charlestown. Staff architect Alistair Lux, presenting both items, said the animal shelter study is expected to take six to nine months.

The animal shelter study was prompted by the 2019 transfer of Animal Care and Control to the Parks Department, which left a gap in the department's 2018 Franklin Park master plan. Both contracts include a city option to retain the selected firms through full design and construction administration if capital funding is secured.

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Source: the Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip6176 meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.