Pima County said the board of supervisors recently awarded a $16.3 million contract to Sundt Construction Inc. to begin construction on the Pima Animal Care Center facility in Tucson.

The animal care center, approved by voters in 2014, will be build in two phases, the county said in a news release. Construction is expected to begin on the first phase of the project next month and should be complete by the end of the year, the release said.

When finished, the new shelter will be double the size of the existing site.

The county has sold $22 million in bonds to fund the project, and land was acquired from Tucson Electric Power and the city of Tucson for the expansion, the release said. An archaeological study was also conducted to ensure no artifacts were at the site before construction.