Roice-Hurst Humane Society broke ground March 26 on its new Animal Care Campus, a 3,000-square-foot expansion that will add a dedicated veterinary clinic, new adoption center, volunteer hub and improved outdoor areas to the organization’s existing campus at 362 28 Road in Grand Junction.

Roice-Hurst anticipates the new facilities will open this summer.

According to a news release from the humane society, the project addresses a critical and growing need for affordable spay and neuter services in the Grand Valley, which have outpaced Roice-Hurst’s current capacity.

The new veterinary clinic will expand access to low-cost spay/neuter, vaccination and microchipping for the public and other animal-welfare organizations across western Colorado, while also strengthening the shelter’s ability to provide care to its own animals. Roice-Hurst’s mobile clinic, which has served as the organization’s sole on-site surgical space for seven years and facilitated more than 3,800 spay/neuter surgeries in that time, will be deployed for regional pop-up clinics and emergency response.

The expansion also addresses operational-space constraints. Currently, Roice-Hurst’s reception, adoptions, veterinary exams, volunteers and Animal Resource Center services all operate out of a single shared space. The Animal Care Campus will give each function a dedicated area with a redesigned entrance, private spaces for adoptions and resource services, and a dedicated volunteer and foster hub. Outdoor kennel spaces also will be improved, the news release said.

“The Animal Care Campus is about creating a place where every person who walks through our doors feels welcome and well-served. We hear all the time that people find animal shelters difficult to visit, and with this project, we’re working to change that,” said Zebulon Miracle, CEO of Roice-Hurst Humane Society. “This project is the result of years of careful planning and responsible resource stewardship, and it’s an investment we’re proud to make for the wellbeing of pets and people of our community.”

The projected investment is approximately $674,000, according to the news release. The project is being funded through organizational reserves and grants from Western Colorado Community Foundation, Storm’s Specialty Services, the Grand Junction Lions Club and other contributors, without a capital campaign. Modular, prefabricated construction kept costs significantly below new construction, and campus consolidation will further reduce ongoing administrative overhead.

Funds have been raised for 80 percent of the projected cost of the project, the news release said. Donations to fund the remainder of the project may be made at RHhumanesociety.org/campus.