PRINEVILLE — The long-overcrowded Humane Society of the Ochocos shelter could soon be replaced by a larger, $1 million facility in a much more visible location near the southwest entrance to Prineville.

Crook County officials are hammering out the details of an agreement that could include the donation of a nearly 6-acre parcel of land at the intersection of Southwest Tom McCall Road and state Highway 126 to the Humane Society for the new shelter.

Discussions about the need for a new building began last spring, about a year after the facility became the first no-kill shelter in the area, but since then, no significant progress has been made on a shelter upgrade.

But at their regular meeting last week, members of the Crook County Court heard from Humane Society board member Greg Lynch, who said that the area’s growing population of people and animals is causing the current shelter to burst at the seams. He said a new, more visitor-friendly facility would help get more animals adopted and ease the shelter’s burden.

“We need to be more visible to and in the community to increase the adoption rate,” Lynch said.

“We need a new shelter on a piece of property that is going to be appealing to the community. We’re giving support to the community, but what we lack is a facility — the shelter that we have now is woefully inadequate.”

The current shelter, located on South Tom McCall Road — near the proposed location of the new facility — has room for about 22 dogs and 32 cats. But right now, the building is home to 35 dogs and 86 cats and the Humane Society is handling the temporary placement of more than 50 other animals, Shelter Manager Lori Durant said.

Part of the overcrowding has been caused by the rescue of nearly 100 dogs from a Powell Butte ranch that began last fall and is just beginning to wrap up. Because the dogs had limited exposure to people, the shelter has had trouble finding homes for many — to date, just 26 have been adopted.

Durant said her staff has had to scramble to come up with space for all the animals, rearranging kennels and sending some to temporary quarters at the old Redmond Humane Society building and in private homes. She said the community is long overdue for a facility that could fit all of the about 1,500 animals brought in each year.

“The community around us is growing so much, and there are so many people coming into Central Oregon, period, that we’ve increased the number of animals here,” Durant said. “But (the shelter) hasn’t grown — this shelter was built in 1999, and nobody really foresaw the big influx of folks into Crook County.”

Though plans for the new shelter haven’t been finalized, Durant said she hopes the new space will triple the capacity of the current facility.

Lynch told the court that the new facility would probably cost around $1 million and could be finished by the end of the year. He said the timing is right because the Crook County Sheriff’s Office is close to hiring its first-ever animal control deputy, who would be responsible for stray animals and major efforts like the Powell Butte rescue. Sheriff Rodd Clark, who attended the County Court meeting, said the new officer could start as soon as next month.

The shelter would be funded largely by donations from private individuals and companies, though some grants are also available for no-kill shelters. Lynch said he’s certain that the shelter will have enough community support to build the new facility.

“We’ve got a lot of people, a lot of companies with significant interest in making contributions in terms of money or in terms of services,” he said.

Crook County Judge Scott Cooper said the topic will likely be back on the agenda at the County Court’s next meeting March 19, but he’s not sure if the shelter will get the go-ahead for the land donation then.

He said county officials are aware of the need and have been longtime supporters of the shelter, donating $38,000 last year for the construction of a crematorium at the current facility. The shelter has a 99-year lease from the county for its current location.