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animal shelter
Pendleton County Fiscal Court has embarked on a concerted effort to cleanup eyesores in the county and their first soldier in this battle is Kevin Valentine.
He was hired as the first Code Enforcement Officer at a special called meeting on Tuesday, October 20.
The court interviewed three applicants and by a 4-0 vote decided to offer the position to Valentine who accepted.
The court was in agreement that each applicant did a “phenommenal” job in the interviews.
In other action, the court hired two dispatchers. A mother-daughter team, the matriarch, Lisa Haney, was hired part-time while daughter Amanda Haney was hired full time.
According to a question from Magistrate Josh Plummer, Judge David Fields indicated they were the only two applicants.
After a lengthy discussion the makeup of the walls on the salt bin to be constructed, the court chose to use large concrete blocks instead of a poured wall.
Fields had done some research and had information that three feet blocks were $15 while six feet blocks were $60.
We will need 132 pieces and figuring six feet blocks, it would be $4,000. There would be additional costs in putting in hoops and metal plates,” Fields told the court.
He added that there would be more manpower expense and would have to contract with a Trac-Ho to lift and place the blocks.
He reminded them that the bid for a poured concrete wall was for $26,600.
Fields told the court that he would like to do the concrete walls and “be done with it.”
Magistrate Rick Mineer presented an option in how to make the blocks sturdy that received much discusssion including Plummer sketchy out a design of what Mineer was proposing.
Fields told the magistrates, “I don’t like that idea myself” but it was their choice.
Whaley proposed an idea that would have steel rebar out of the slab and inserted into the blocks that would tie the slab and block together.
With concern of part of the wall collasping if while loading the salt, a road crew worker runs into the wall, he said, “It is a whole lot easier to manipulate blocks if part of the wall collapses compared to a poured wall.”
Magistrate Darrin Gregg stated, “I like the block.”
Mineer made the motion with Whaley’s second to use block for the walls.
After adjourning from the special meeting, the court went into a caucus meeting to discuss county issues.
Animal Control Officer John Bloomfield was present to talk both problems with animals roaming freely and future plans for the animal shelter.
He informed the court of some animal issues that the county was having. First, on Old Cynthiana Road, there are four or five cows that have been roaming wild and causing damage to the property. The owner told Bloomfield that he cannot physically catch them. When presented with options of surrender them to the county or the county catches them and they become property of the county, the cows’ owner decided to “lawyer up.”
In another issue, a horse had been loose for a couple years according to a person who said they were the owner but could not provide proof of it. The horse had been captured and, during the special meeting, the court approved allowing the horse to go to the family that had been providing care for it since captured. By doing so, the county was not responsible for the $160 of expenses already incurred and upcoming medical expenses.
Bloomfield shared with the court a sketch he had made of a 50’ x 100’ foot building that could become a new animal shelter. The court owns land on Ed Monroe Road on which a new shelter could be built.
The land provides an opportunity to shelter large animals like the cows and horses in the above situation and would prevent the court from having to pay for a farmer to house such animals.
With Economic Director Bill Mitchell’s help, he was able to secure three estimates to draw up plans for the proposed buillding.
According to Bloomfield, the present setup has 22 bins but no place to separate new arrivals or a puppy room.
The new setup would have 24 bins but also four to six bins for new arrivals that can be quarantined till its determine they do not have any infections or diseases. It would also have three to five bins where mothers and their puppies could be kept together.
Fields told the court that moving in this direction would allow the county to setup a not-for-profit where individuals could donate to the animal shelter and receive a tax deduction for it.
Fiscal Court will next meet on Tuesday, October 27 at 6 p.m. in a regular scheduled meeting. They can vote on issues in regular scheduled meetings were caucuses are designed for discussion and not votes can be taken.