DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — The Animal Rescue League is building a 22,500-square-foot facility in Dedham to better carry out its mission.

The animal welfare organization founded in 1899 broke ground on the $16.5 million project near its current Dedham facility in September and hopes to complete it next fall.

The building will feature a new garage for the organization’s mobile medical outreach units; a training center for animals and their caregivers; and new office space that will allow the organization to centralize its program managers in one location. The existing building and an adjacent barn will remain in operation.

“We are very excited about this,” Edward Schettino, president and CEO of the nonprofit, told The Boston Globe. “We’ve labeled it a foundation for the future. Becoming more efficient “will allow us to refocus our resources 100% on the animals and people who need our services.”

The organization provides a range of services for 20,000 animals a year at its locations in Dedham, Boston and Brewster.

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