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Jessamine awarded grant for new animal shelter

September 30, 2010|Journal staff report | news@jessaminejournal.com

Jessamine County will receive a $150,000 grant for construction of a new animal shelter, from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Because so many Kentucky counties applied for the grant, the animal control advisory board set a cap of $150,000 for the amount each qualified county could receive. Of 44 grant applicants for funding from the board, only Jessamine County and one other county received the maximum amount.

The current Jessamine County Animal shelter was constructed in 1975 and is 2,000 square feet. The new facility will be approximately 9,000 square feet.

“Right now, the shelter has one office,” Jessamine County Environmental Services director Mike Cassidy said. “You walk into the building, and one small space serves as a reception area, the director’s office, and the place where people discuss potential adoptions.”

The new facility will include room for a separate reception area, a “meet and greet” room (for potential pet owners and their adoptive pets), a director’s office, and a conference room that could double as a classroom.

Upon receipt of the grant monies, Jessamine County Fiscal Court will form a construction committee, including area veterinarians and other interested parties, to determine the final plan for the new shelter.

Although the $150,000 will not cover the full costs for the facility (JCFC had originally applied for $298,000 to construct the animal shelter), the remaining cost for construction of the shelter will be paid for by Jessamine County Fiscal Court with cash and in-kind contributions.

“The new facility will have many features that the Fiscal Court feels will make maintaining and operating the building much more user friendly for the shelter staff,” Jessamine County Judge-Executive Neal Cassity said. “We are very excited about our receipt of funds and we feel that the new animal shelter will be a facility that Jessamine County residents will utilize for years to come.”

For more information, contact the fiscal court at 859-885-4500.

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