WEST VALLEY CITY — Animals kept in the 40-year-old shelter here are often unintentionally sprayed with water and medical disinfectant when their cages are cleaned daily.

Hundreds of dogs and cats kept in fewer than 100 chain-link cages then become wet and frightened and are likely to become sick, said shelter director Kelly Davis. Even so, the small shelter has one of the highest records in the state for pet adoptions — very few adoptable pets are euthanized, the director added.

Ten months from now, that record could get even better. West Valley City will break ground Oct. 16 on a new shelter that will be almost three times as large as the current one on the edge of town. It will also be cleaner, safer and more appealing to potential pet owners and those who have lost their animals.

The kennels and cages will feature improved ventilation, non-porous surfaces and spaces where the animals can retreat when their cages are being cleaned, Davis said.

The $5.5 million, 15,000-square-foot shelter will house up to 400 animals brought in monthly from the streets of West Valley City and Taylorsville. The improvements that will ensure animal health will make the facility look more like a hospital than a series of crowded cages.

"It's long overdue, frankly," Davis said. "We've planned this facility with the understanding that this will be around for 20-plus years. The money will be well spent."

Plans for a new refuge were formulated about a year ago as a result of a capital facilities task force, organized by West Valley City Manager Wayne Pyle. It became clear that building a new shelter was desperately needed, said city spokesman Aaron Crim. The force also found a need for new storage space for the parks, police and fire departments.

All the projects will be funded by an $8.5 million municipal bond the city plans to sell in the near future. The City Council has approved the measure and the process has gone smoothly despite problems in the national economic lending market, Crim said.

Taylorsville, which contracts with West Valley City for animal control services, has also kicked in $1.4 million for the shelter on top of its contracting fees. Taylorsville came on board in July of 2007 when plans for the new shelter were cemented, Crim said.

In addition to space for pets and their visitors, the new one-story structure in the corner of City Park at 4200 West and 3500 South will house 10,000 square feet of office space, expected to serve West Valley's community preservation department.

Livestock will continue to be housed in corrals at the old concrete and cinder-block facility at 4063 W. 7200 South. The one-time private kennel and home could then be used for offices or storage of lawn mowers and tractors.

The price tag for the sanctuary project has been increased by about $2 million and the square-footage estimate has been upped by about 300 square feet since the project was announced in January because West Valley City learned the expansion would be affordable, Crim said.

The groundbreaking will occur at the park at 10 a.m. Oct. 16. From 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. that day, the city will hold an adoption fair and vaccination clinic at the site.

"This is an exciting opportunity for the animals and for citizens of West Valley and Taylorsville to have a very beautiful building," Davis said. "West Valley is proud of that and looks forward to running a top-level facility."

E-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com