Wake County broke ground on the expansion of the county's Animal Care, Control and Adoption Center.

Local leaders were on hand for the official groundbreaking Wednesday morning. The current center was built in 1996 and was designed to hold all the county's animals except for the City of Raleigh and Towns of Cary and Garner. The expansion will provide the first consolidated animal shelter for the entire county.

Officials see it as a benefit for every Wake County resident who owns a pet or wants to adopt. 

"Through the consolidation process we can provide efficiences in the community and make it easier for citizens to (know) 'if I have a lost pet where can I go to find it,'" said Tommy Esqueda, Environmental Services Director. "So it's intended to make it better for the citizens at large and better space and healthcare for the animals."

The expansion will be more than 6,000 square feet and include more than 150 new dog and cat holding units.

It's expected to be open in July 2010.