Published: May 09, 2008 11:10 am            

Animal shelter faces closure

Shelter official: ‘It is really just a matter of a month or two months before the shelter closes its doors’

By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

With their shelter facing imminent closure, members of the Knox-Whitley Animal Shelter came to the Whitley County Fiscal Court’s May meeting to ask for an increase in funds from the county.

“We’ve already met with [Judge-Executive Pat White Jr.]. This is more for public awareness that the shelter is in dire straits as far as funding goes ... at the rate we are going with the lack of funds, its really just a matter of a month or two months before the shelter closes its doors,” Jennifer Adkins of the Knox-Whitley Animal Shelter told to the fiscal court.

Adkins said the shelter in the past has depended on funding from bingo nights and charity events. The bingo nights have fallen through thanks to what Adkins called “politics” in dealing with the bingo hall manager. Adkins and the shelter is asking for Whitley, Knox and McCreary counties to increase their funding to keep the shelter open.

Adkins said the county is required to provide access to or a contract with a shelter. McCreary County recently signed an agreement to take its animals to the Knox-Whitley Animal Shelter. Earlier in the meeting Whitley County Animal Control Officer, Wayne Wilson reported that during his six months on the job he had captured nearly 700 animals, all of which were sent to the shelter.

“I’m not sure what the county will do with its animals in six months. Wayne has brought in, what was it, 700 animals over the course of the year. You are going to be looking at 1,400 animals loose on the street. We really are at a point where we need help with the shelter, or the county would need to look at its own shelter,” Adkins said.

White said that in his private meeting with shelter officials he had asked them to provide him with more financial information on the shelter.

“I tried to convey (in the meeting) I think everyone wants to see the shelter continue and to do well, but I have to understand your numbers before I feel comfortable spending the taxpayers’ dollars on the shelter,” White said. “I have to understand what it’s going to be spent on and have it all documented and explained.”

White said he didn’t understand how the budget expenses the shelter gave him were at $120,000 and an approximate revenue last year for the shelter was $82,000. White said in his estimation that would mean a budget short fall of $38,000-40,000.

“I’ve quadrupled the funding ... it was zero prior to this fiscal court coming in,” White said. “We understand this is a vital resource and vital need, but I can’t in good faith just write a blank check to the animal shelter when there are other causes I have to deal with ... I look forward to meeting with you all further, and would open my door to reach a reasonable compromise.”

White and the shelter representatives agreed to arrange a meeting with the judge-executives of Whitley, Knox and McCreary counties.

Shelter board member Richard Mandell asked the court to keep in mind the services that the shelter provides for the county’s image.

“Every time I came into Whitley County up I-75 from Knoxville, I’d see dead animals, one after another. Today, on the ride down here from Corbin, I saw not a one. This is due to the animal control of the shelter and from the animal control officer,” Mandell said.

After the meeting, some of the shelter supporters were a bit disappointed with the fiscal court.

“I was disappointed, but it went better than it did yesterday when we talked to Mr. White. But I think that having the media here helped, he was a little bit more like ‘we want to help.’ But we are going to have to have help because if we don’t our doors will have to close,” said Rosemary Blankenship, the shelter’s crematorium operator.

Another shelter worker, Sarah Shacklford added, “And you really won’t want us to [close] because that means there will be more animals on the street.”

Besides the loss of bingo funding, the shelter has been hit hard by three separate burglaries, according to Blankenship. The latest break-in occurred late Friday or early Saturday morning, and all the thieves got was “$13 or so and a computer monitor,” Blankenship said.

Blankenship said the damage the thieves created in the “puppy roof” trying to get into the building could cost the shelter $2,000 to $3,000 in repairs. Shelter employees have a pretty good idea who the thieves are and are working with police to make an arrest, she said.

In other fiscal court news:

• The fiscal court let a motion drop that would have allowed the Oxmoor Isuzu dealer of Louisville to conduct a temporary off-site sale in Whitley County.

Magistrate David Myers researched the issue after the ordinance was tabled during last month’s fiscal court.

Myers said he had contacted several dealerships in Corbin, Williamsburg, and all over Whitley County and the general consensus was that allowing the off-site sales wouldn’t be bad for the dealerships per se, but more so for the consumers.

“The consumer has no one to go back to after these people leave. I was also told early on that Isuzu was pulled off the American market, I was told that again by another company, I thought I need to verify that so I went online ... they basically closed in the U.S. market,” Myers said.

Myers said the representative of the Louisville dealership couldn’t provide any benefits for the county other than the $100 a day fee for the permits. Outside dealers can still do business in Whitley by partnering with local dealers, Myers said, which would mean that if something were wrong with the vehicles, residents would have someone to go to in the area.

• The court approved payment for new time- clocks for employees. White said the recent audit of the county’s finances by the state suggested the county update its employee time sheet records.

County Treasurer Jeffery Gray said the new time-clocks will use new biometric technology that recognizes employees’ hand prints. This will take place of the old paper system. Gray said the clocks will be in the four county offices.

During other business representatives of the Sally Gap Bluegrass Festival asked for help from the county to keep ticket costs at the festival. The festival is currently short $7,500.

Vicki Cooper who is organizing the festival has had trouble finding funding for this year’s show, but is well on her way to finding sponsors for next year’s. Cooper assured the court that this would be a one-time request for aid. Cooper said 93,000 people come to the state of Kentucky a year, and the festival, while not drawing that many people would benefit Williamsburg and the county as a whole.

The festival will include several national bluegrass groups, as well as workshops and classes for children.

After a discussion on whether giving the group aid would set a bad precedent, it was decided that the festival would receive a one time $1,000 donation from the county.

The festival will take place June 6-8 on Jackson Farms in Williamsburg.

        

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