Hopkins Co. to build new animal shelter | News

HOPKINS CO., KY (WFIE)- After months of planning, a new animal shelter is coming to Hopkins County. And as 14 News found out, it's going to be twice the size of the current one.

Community Development Director Mike Duncan has been touring different shelters across the Tri-State for months trying to get ideas for their new facility. He says funding and design questions have slowed them down, but not anymore.

"It's been a long time coming," Duncan said. "There's been a lot of discussion, a lot of arguments, a lot of different things have happened, but this is going to happen now so that's the good part."

Fiscal court recently approved a bid worth roughly $500,000. Duncan says one element to the new 4,500 square foot facility, they're stressing is sanitation and making sure both the animals and public are safe.

"We'll basically have three different air exchange systems, so the air won't pass from what we'd call diseased animals to healthy animals."

Another addition could be a small adoption center.

"We're going to have two display rooms, a puppy room and a cat room, that you can look through the glass and see them and hopefully that will help in the adoption process," Duncan told 14 News.

The new shelter will sit right next to the County Jail. Jailer Joe Blue says they plan to provide inmate labor and work closely with the shelter.

"Be able to do a lot of the day to day operations, cleanliness. That's the main thing, dealing with animals, keeping it clean, keeping the odor down," Blue said.

Blue says he believes this partnership will be a win win for everyone.

"A lot of them came in and really haven't had a job before, and that'll teach them job responsibility."

County Officials hope to break ground on the project next month, and the shelter could be up and running by December.

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