New Lafayette County Animal Shelter Plans Move Foward

By Alyssa Schnugg

News editor

alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

Plans for the new animal shelter for Lafayette County are progressing.

On Monday, Building Official Joel Hollowell told the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors that the ground on the site of the future shelter has been mostly cleared and presented the conceptual building plan to the board.

The site is located off Industrial Park Road, in the Lafayette County Max D. Hipp Industrial Park, northwest of where Good Day Farms is located in the park.

The shelter will sit on 3 acres that will give room for a 4,160-square-foot building and outdoor exercise areas.

The preliminary design shows 18 indoor kennels and 18 outdoor kennels, a medical exam room, sick animal rooms indoors, a cat room, a puppy play area and administration offices.

The conceptual drawings were provided by Architect Edith Conkerton.

The Board sought advice from outside sources on how to design the shelter to provide the appropriate spacing and necessary areas.

“The layout might change a little bit depending upon the final design, but all of those components are included in this layout,” Hollowell said Monday.

The county is building the shelter but will outsource the management and operation of the shelter; however, who that will be has not yet been determined.

Hollowell said the county has already received several quotes for the metal building package, which have thus far, come in under budget.

“We’re excited about that,” he said.

Under Monday’s consent agenda, the Board approved hiring engineer W. Mark Watson PE LLC to develop the foundation plans.

“Our plan is that next week, towards the end of next week, we will, we will send out an RFQ (request for quote) for the construction of the foundation and the erection of the building,” Hollowell said.

Hollowell said it is possible that the slab could be poured for the shelter by late July.