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Animal Control Shelter Gets Site Approval: Commission Approves Firm to Oversee Project and OKs Site in Seale

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Jerry F. Rutledge, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.

May 10--Russell County moved two steps closer to constructing a county animal control shelter during the county commission meeting Tuesday.

The commission approved the selection of Harris & Associates, a Birmingham, Ala., architectural firm, to design and oversee the construction project and also gave its OK to a site off Poorhouse Road in Seale, Ala., as the location for the animal control center.

A committee has been studying animal control shelters since last fall, when Phenix City decided to cancel its contract with the county to house its stray animals in its shelter.

County Engineer Richard Gohde, who presented the committee's recommendation, said Harris designed a facility in Blount County, Ala., and a similar facility soon to be under construction in Jackson County, Ala. Both include most of the features the county is seeking in a shelter. The commission was shown plans from those facilities during the Monday work session and Tuesday's meeting.

Harris will receive between 4.8 percent and 6.8 percent of the construction cost "depending upon how much we want them to be involved in the administration of the contract," Gohde said. The project is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $280,000, depending on the bids and negotiations after the bid has been let.

The proposed site is near the county highway department headquarters in Seale on property the county already owns. The facility would be capable of housing both small and large animals.

District 1 Commissioner Gentry Lee cautioned the commission that the land is near a stream and would create trouble with state authorities if waste water from the shelter caused contamination.

But both proposals from the committee were approved unanimously.

In other commission action, county residents may soon benefit from weather "safe rooms" if grants sought by the Russell County Emergency Management Agency through the Lee-Russell Council of Governments are approved. The grants are through the AMA and FEMA.

The safe rooms are basically boxes, said Erin Stephens of the Council of Governments, that can be placed inside of a dwelling, behind the dwelling or underground. The grants would allow the county EMA to have its own safe room to protect essential personnel during the dangerous weather, with individuals and businesses also eligible.

"The rooms would safeguard individuals through certain strength storms," Stephens said. "These range from four individuals to 12 individuals."

The RCEMA would have to pay a cash match for the grant. Individuals or businesses seeking safe rooms through the agency would have to pay their own match. The third grant resolution Stephens presented to the commission would purchase a generator for the Russell County Water Authority to use in case of weather problems.

Lisa Sandt of the Council of Governments presented resolutions for State Conservation Grants which would give the county $50,000 each for use in recreation. The Russell County Recreation Park in Seale would be the likely beneficiary.

The county received an oversized check for $80,269.75 from the National Resource Conservation Service to help defray the cost of repairing some roads and ditches damaged by severe weather last year.

Contact Jerry Rutledge at (706) 320-4405 or jrutledge@ledger-enquirer.com [mailto:jrutledge@ledger-enquirer.com]

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Copyright (c) 2006, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.

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Source: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

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