Meade County Fiscal Court hosted a town hall to present the first view of the proposed design of a new county animal shelter Monday (4/21) evening.
The event allowed magistrates and community members a first glimpse at what the new animal shelter would possibly look like and allow for feedback on the proposed project. The proposal is a result of a collaboration involving Meade County Animal Control, Meade County Pets In Need Society and an shelter oversight committee which has worked the past couple of years to evaluate the shelter’s current and future needs. The new shelter is proposed to constructed on a twenty acre lot adjacent to a new road department building which will provide updated infrastructure for both county departments. The animal shelter building will be approximately 6,800 square feet that will feature separate exam and visiting rooms for dogs and cats along with designated kennel areas. The building is expected to be split into three different HVAC zones to assist with ventilation and reduce the spread of air borne diseases for the animals and staff.
Animal Control Director Savannah Sarnak said that the new facility would be flexible and expandable and would be vast improvement over the current facility which was built in 1978. Judge Executive Troy Kok said that the current facility is worn out and is obviously in need of replacement. He said county leaders are planning the new facility to meet the county’s need over at least the next fifty years. Kok stated in the town hall and in a previous discussions related to the proposed animal shelter and road department complex, the move of both departments would open the way for a new justice center that is slated to be built by the state once the the Administrative Office of the Courts decides to proceed with that project next to the existing courthouse. Kok said that all of the projects are being methodically thought out to be done correctly the first time in order to avoid spending extra tax money on the same issue every few years. The exact cost of the project has yet to be determined as the project remains in the design phase. During the conversation, it was noted that the current cost estimate is related to the increase of construction materials and labor for the project.
You can watch the entire town hall meeting in our “On Demand” section.
You must be logged in to post a comment.