Pasadena Humane Society – E.H. Butland Corp.

The Pasadena Humane Society (PHS) was experiencing growing pains in its current home. In an effort to continue being a lead provider of animal welfare in Pasadena, Calif., the organization contracted with E.H. Butland Corp. (Butland) to build a new facility.

California-based Butland has been in business for 33 years, completing over 1,200 projects. Butland specializes in medical construction and performs design-build work, as well as standard bid-only work, making the company a good match for PHS.

The new Animal Care Campus, located on the corner of Raymond Avenue and Del Mar Boulevard, will feature subterranean parking and a two-story building. The 31,105-square foot facility includes a 29,000-square foot subterranean garage, large retail store, low-cost spay and neuter clinic, training and education center, an outdoor enrichment area, additional kennel space and rental space.

Scott Murphy, project manager for Butland, reports that work began on the site in May 2012. The team at Butland tore down an existing 16,000-square foot building and recycled about 90 percent of the material from the site. “This is a LEED Silver-certified project,” says Murphy. “We’re trying to recycle as much material as possible and use as much recycled material in the project as possible.”

In addition to creating an environmentally friendly building, Butland is using standards similar to that of hospital construction for the project. With the animal clinic, PHS will conduct wellness checks and surgeries, so according to Murphy, Butland has to create an atmosphere not unlike that of a hospital surgical suite.

For the Love of Animals

PHS was founded in 1903 as an open door agency to welcome and care for all animals in the region. The agency provides welfare services and animal control for Pasadena, and also Arcadia, Glendale, La Canada Flintridge, San Marino, Sierra Madre and South Pasadena. In addition to fostering and adopting out animals, PHS offers spay and neuter, vaccination and training clinics.

Steve McNall, president and CEO of PHS, conveys this expansion is the next step in continued service to the community. “No one else is doing this in the area, especially during these rough economic times,” says McNall in a PHS press release. “The Animal Care Campus will be a viable community resource that will help us reach our goal of zero euthanasia of adoptable animals.”

Through a partnership with Community Bank and private donations, PHS has been able to fund the expansion. The expansion is being complete while PHS continues to provide services and maintain daily operations.

Challenge Accepted; Beating Budgets and Schedules

The location of the new facility has been the biggest challenge for Butland. The corner where the facility is being built is a densely populated area and in close proximity to roadways. “Our biggest challenge is access to the site and parking,” says Murphy.

Butland has rented parking from several lots locally and starts work early so crews can snag on-street parking. The company also needs to consider local traffic when working. “We can’t take up more than one lane of traffic,” says Murphy. “We’ve put a tower crane on this jobsite to expedite our schedule and minimize street closures. Most of the materials are flown in by the tower crane from a 10-inch by 60-inch area in the alley along the west side of the project.”

This also means Murphy keeps a strict schedule with suppliers for when material can be delivered to the site. “As we’re bringing in material, we’re trying not to block access,” he says. “But we have a good relationship with most of the local owners close to us and if we do block access, we let those owners know ahead of time. We’ve coordinated drawings to show what’s coming in, where it needs to be placed, so we can unload in the quickest possible fashion to avoid any inconvenience.”

However, the team is no stranger to overcoming obstacles, and acknowledges the importance of recognition. Each year, Pasadena hosts the Rose Parade in conjunction with the Tournament of Roses on New Year’s Day. Murphy reports the city has a street moratorium that restricts street access and bans public occupancy permits around the holidays. “We just went through a very difficult time trying to hit certain milestones,” he says. “We were trying to finish the structural deck pour before the moratorium, which we successfully did.”

Going forward, Murphy intends to keep the project on schedule and within the organization’s budget. With operations running smoothly, E.H. Butland Corp. plans to have the Pasadena Humane Society open for business by fall 2013.