Dirt flew furiously Wednesday at a site near Redmond’s Whole Foods Market. It wasn’t a dog burying a bone, but rather the start of a new facility for a longtime local animal hospital.
City of Redmond Mayor John Marchione joined owners, architects, contractors and veterinarians at a groundbreaking ceremony for the relocation of Brookfield Veterinary Hospital.
Marchione and owner Dr. Howard Robinson grabbed shovels and plowed through the first layer of soil — the crowd gathered behind them, congratulating each other for this milestone.
“It is a good thing to bring us together,” said project manager Kris Azizeh. “This is a good chance for somebody to say, ‘Hey, I have been working with you for six months, it’s nice to finally shake your hand!'”
Brookfield, a family owned veterinary facility currently located at 16441 Redmond Way in Redmond, has been relocated due to the city’s downtown-improvement plan to convert the current location Downtown Park.
The hospital received relocation funds from the city in return, allowing the veterinarians to continue providing their services locally.
“Change is sometimes good,” said Susan Tharp, a veterinarian technician who works at Brookfield. “We are going to be bigger, almost three times the size up with more staffs and doctors — we are bringing state-of-the-art medicine.”
The current facility is 2,000 square feet and has minimal parking. The new building will provide the most advanced dental, surgical and radiographic devices, Robinson said.
Architect Katerina Prochaska said the building is oriented south to take advantage of sunlight, which will reduce the need for electrical lighting.
SEA CON, a local Puget Sound contractor, is handling the construction and Seattle architecture firm PKJB designed the new facility. Oak Bank, a Small Business Administration lender specializing in veterinary-related businesses, has provided the funding.
The current Brookfield location will be torn down, but is in operation until the expected opening date for the new facility, Dec. 31.
The new hospital will be located on 6535 E. Lake Sammamish Pkwy N.E.
Construction has only just begun and there is already a lot of excitement in the air.
Joshua Chin is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.
