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Frederick County Animal Control is planning to build 12 new outdoor kennels at is Rosemont Avenue shelter.

Animal Control Director Harold Domer is anxious for the project to get started.

"I'm hoping the sooner the better," Domer said Monday.

The project will replace seven existing dog kennels constructed with chain link fencing and dirt floors. The 12 new kennels are planned with concrete flooring and walls, partitions separating each kennel and a partial roof for protection during bad weather.

Two of the kennels will be constructed to allow potential adoptive families to meet and interact with dogs. A new sidewalk from the animal shelter's main building to the kennels is also planned.

The outdoor kennels are primarily used when staff and volunteers are cleaning the indoor dog kennels, Domer said, and are never used for overnight boarding of animals.

The dirt flooring now used poses a health risk to the animals, he added.

"Sometimes there are accidents and the feces gets on the dirt and grass and that is impossible to clean and disinfect," Domer said. "You can clean and disinfect concrete."

On average, Domer said the shelter houses between 30 to 40 dogs at any time.

The county last year budgeted $133,000 for the new kennel project, but due to rising construction costs the lowest bid has now come in at $153,000, Alan Hudak, director of the county's Division of Public Works, said Monday.

Because the county-owned shelter is within City of Frederick borders, Domer and his staff must wait until an official agreement is reached between the county and the city to construct the kennels.

The last renovation project at the shelter was in 1993, when an addition was placed onto the back of the building.

E-mail Sherry Greenfield at sgreenfield@gazette.net