Animal shelter makes fast progress, adds med suite

Construction of the new Unicoi County Animal Shelter is moving swiftly after a year of delays and setbacks.Work officially began earlier this month, and shelter director Mollie Haren said crews are "really well underway" on what will be a modernized, expanded facility designed to better serve the county's animals and residents.Tropical Storm Helene wiped out the previous shelter last year, leaving the county without a permanent facility. Since then, the Unicoi County Animal Welfare Board has reviewed bids and design proposals while temporarily operating on a limited, emergency-only scale.Haren said the rebuilding process took time because of changing plans and funding requirements tied to grants."Some of the things in the design and layout did include certain stipulations with some of the grants that we got," she said. "That included certain things like an intake area and other requirements. It is going to be a very nice facility."The final bid came in under $1 million, Haren said, and construction is expected to finish by the end of the year or in early January.Haren said work so far has focused on tearing out old structures and replacing them with updated features that meet current animal-care standards."They've already redone the roof," she said. "They tore out all of the old kennel walls and the dividers between the kennels. Those are being rebuilt to be resized for better standards for today's care."Crews are also resizing openings for the guillotine doors that separate indoor and outdoor kennel runs, and Haren said they have already begun installing new interior walls."They've started putting walls in," she said. "They're really well underway."The new facility will feature both renovated and new construction, including an addition that houses a medical suite for surgeries and other procedures. Haren said the addition was one of the major design changes made during the planning process."We are now including a medical suite," she said. "We are hoping to get a doctor on board within the next month or so and be able to do spay and neuter surgeries once the new shelter opens."Haren said the team also made practical decisions about materials and layout to balance functionality and durability."I think they're just going to be regular steel doors," she said when asked about kennel door options. "Pretty much the whole inside is going to be redone, and there is an addition being built as well."Board member Charles Day has been overseeing much of the process, including the bidding and coordination with contractors."He has been lead of the construction," Haren said. "He's been there every day making sure things are going well."While construction continues, the shelter remains closed to the public, though staff are still managing adoptions and rescues on a small scale. Haren said their phones remain on, and they are continuing to post available animals online while scheduling meet-and-greets by appointment only.Further updates on the shelter's progress will be shared at the Unicoi County Animal Welfare Board meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at Erwin Town Hall, 211 N. Main Ave., Erwin.