Bids not in yet for new animal shelter
By Andrew Bell
Published in News on May 28, 2007 1:45 PM
Wayne County officials continue to receive donations for the project and engineers know where the foundation will be laid, but the bid process is the last obstacle before construction on a new animal shelter can begin.
Wayne Buildings and Grounds director Brant Brown said the county hopes to have the bids out and complete by the middle of June. Then, it shouldn't be too much longer before construction begins on the 11,500-square-foot, $1.6 million facility, he added.
The community has done its part in raising money for the shelter, contributing more than $125,000 by the end of March, with more donations in and expected before the construction begins.
County officials also hope they can use $200,000 pledged by two anonymous donors last fall. The two donors, through their lawyer Tommy Jarrett, said they would provide the money if some policy changes were made at the new facility. The existing shelter, which is located at 900 Brick St., is a 1,150-square-foot facility that is more than 50 years old.
One of the main stipulations requested by the donors is that a new animal shelter focus on increasing adoptions. The animal shelter has already implemented a Pet of the Week program to highlight the most adoptable animals, Wayne Animal Shelter director Justin Scally said. He added that more policies will be implemented at a new facility to ensure more adoptions.
The donors also requested that any animal that isn't adopted should be euthanized in a humane way, specifically a sodium pentobarbital injection. The existing method uses a carbon monoxide gas chamber.
Scally said the paperwork for implementing euthanasia by injection at the new facility is complete. Also, several animal control officers began animal cruelty courses this month in Pitt County.
As long as the process continues to go smoothly, county officials said they hope construction on the project can begin this summer. The new animal shelter will be located on four acres of county-owned land off Clingman Street near Goldsboro's city garage.
County officials originally thought county-owned land on the north side of Eighth Street between Humphrey Street and Wayne Memorial Drive would serve as the new home for the shelter. But Goldsboro City Council denied a rezoning request by the county because several local property owners believed the shelter would be a detriment to future residential and commercial development.
The county considered another parcel of county-owned land near the Goldsboro-Wayne Municipal Airport north of the city, but engineers' borings determined that the land was not sufficient enough to support the structure.
That is what led county officials to consider the Clingman Street site. That land also required rezoning authorization from the city of Goldsboro, which was granted in April.