Excitement continues to ‘growl’ at the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter.
With ideal conditions in place thanks to the weather forecast, work sped right along Friday as expansion continues at the facility.
“The expansion is going great,” Shannon Posada, shelter director, said. “They’ve been going fast with the work and it’s great to see.”
Trademark, based out of Bristol, Va., is the contracting company handling the project. Employees were tending to the roof and working inside the newly created area prior to the weekend.
“They’re making great progress,” Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey said. “Everything is still going according to plan. With the roof in place, that will help with any potential inclement weather. We’re encouraged to see the work going on at the shelter.”
Expansion includes approximately 1,000 square feet of concrete housed under the roof that will house additional spacing for the feline population and other rooms to benefit the shelter. Three to four “catios” – patios for the cats – will also be created over the months.
Humphrey anticipates, pending any setbacks, for expansion to be finalized around April.
Along with the expansion, work is around the bend for a van that will be used to transport animals for spay and neuter in a partnership created by the facility and Lincoln Memorial University.
Once in place, the county’s van will be properly outfitted during a conversion process to suit the animals and be immediately on the road, according to the mayor.
“This opportunity will also use to spay and neuter animals that age appropriate for a low-cost,” Humphrey said.
Expansion and the vehicle was made possible thanks to an estate donation made by the late Glenda Taylor DeLawder. $540,000 of the $1.2 million estate is being used to complete the current projections, along with future expansion at the dog area. The money was earmarked by the administrators of the estate for the projects.
“We couldn’t have done any of this without the estate,” Humphrey said. “Once everything is finished, we’ll contact the family and hold an event to celebrate the shelter and recognize the family.”
The shelter was also scheduled to wrap up their special Valentine’s event on Saturday, Feb. 21. Over the span of a week, the shelter was able to provide over 20 animals without a charge due to independent sponsorships.
“It was amazing to see our animals go to their ‘forever homes’ during the week,” Posada. “Just like it is every time an animal is adopted out. We had several folks come in to adopt animals on Saturday and then we had several.”
Posada added the Saturday kickoff event at PetSense saw 13 animals go to new homes. Both the mayor and Posada thanked the business for their support with shelter activities.
The mayor added that momentum is continuing to pick up at the facility.
“We’re in the best shape that we have been ever, overall, with the cleanliness of the shelter and the health of the animals,” Humphrey said. “There are a lot of positives going on at the shelter. I would say once construction is complete, I’d put our shelter up against any others across the state. With the limited funding we have, it all goes back to the work of Mrs. Posada and the rest of the staff. They’ve put in so much work to have the shelter where it is at today.”