Thomas County clears the site for a new animal shelter

THOMAS COUNTY, Ga. (WCTV) -Thomas County officials demolished an old barn at the site of a new animal shelter coming later this year.

That new shelter will lay between the Thomas County Public works building and Fleet operations off of Joiner Rd.

Officials say demolishing the old barn Monday morning was a big step toward having that new animal shelter up and running hopefully by December.

“We’re providing limited services through the sheriff’s office,” said Stephenson. “That’s been geared toward vicious and dangerous animals. With the new shelter, we’re looking forward to expanding those services once the shelter opens.”

Although some details regarding how many animals the shelter will be permitted to house have not been finalized, County Manager Michael Stephenson told WCTV the shelter will be operated by the board of commissioners. There will be several jobs available closer to the shelter being completed, including a shelter manager and animal service officers.

Stephenson says for any residents concerned about the funding of the shelter, it’s estimated to be a total cost of $950,000. He says because the building will be considered a public safety facility it will be funded through the Special Purpose Local Option Sales tax and not from the operational sources that were originally budgeted for animal control.

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