County expects to name shelter contractor soon

By Joel Davis
of The Daily Times Staff

Efforts to build a new county animal shelter will begin progressing more quickly once a general contractor is appointed.

"We are taking a look at our gift-in-kind donors versus the bid for general contractor," said Rick Yeager of the Smoky Mountain Animal Care Foundation. "We haven't awarded the general contractor yet. Stay tuned. We're going to meet sometime within the next week or two so we can get this resolved so we can get construction started as soon as possible."

The Blount County Purchasing Department has solicited bids for the general contractor. Purchasing Agent Judy Hackney is out of the office this week and was unavailable for comment. Animal Control Committee Chairman Steve Samples said there is progress happening.

"Things are moving along," he said. "They had several contractors show up for the bid opening. Highway Superintendent Bill Dunlap is looking to get out there to put the road in. Things are moving pretty good now, I think."

Samples has called an Animal Control Committee meeting for 7 p.m. on May 20.

"At that time, we'll have an update on where we are with the new center," he said.

Blount County is currently relying on the Loudon County Shelter to house homeless and abandoned animals. Animal control has been a subject of controversy since the previous County Commission declined to continue funding a contract with the city of Maryville for animal control services. That contract expired Dec. 31, 2006.

The current Blount County Commission voted Jan. 18, 2007, to hire an animal control officer. The Loudon County Commission has agreed to accept stray and unwanted animals at the Loudon County Animal Shelter for $4,000 per month. The agreement will run out at the end of June.

Loudon County has had no problem with the arrangement so far, said Loudon County Mayor Doyle Arp.

"It's going fine," he said. "I haven't had any complaints. It goes through the end of June. The commission extended it for six months (last time) because they were getting started on their building."

Arp said he will have to bring the agreement back up for his county commission to consider again.

The new shelter is being built on a 12-acre site located behind the Boys and Girls Club, 241 Currie Ave., in Maryville. On April 19, 2007, the Blount County Commission authorized spending $350,000 in seed money for an animal shelter. The commission approved the floating of a short-term loan from the county debt service fund balance to pay for the project.

Blount County Animal Control will respond to calls at (865) 228-0024 Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Fridays, an animal control representative will be in the parking lot of the old Hubbard School, 3509 Tuckaleechee Pike at the corner of the pike and Hubbard School Road, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to receive animals. County residents may bring unwanted dogs or cats there to be surrendered during those times. Blount County Animal Control can only respond to calls relating to dogs and cats.

The Animal Control Committee has authorized the animal control officer to respond to emergency animal control calls on the weekend as well.