JOHN COFFELT Contributor

The county has recently made an incremental stride in the process of building a new animal shelter by taking possession of the deed to a 4-acre property near the Coffee County Jail.

The property was donated to the county by local man Tom Rice.

The county has tentatively set a date for the groundbreaking in early December. A firmer date is being held back until some of the initial findings come in from the phase one environmental study that was recommended by the Capital Outlay Committee for $3,500 by St. John Engineering.

County Mayor Judd Matheny said that the study falls under the state’s provision for professional services.

“I would think that this is sort of a stepping stone to get to the RFQ (request for qualifications) process,” Matheny said, referring to the process the county will need to use to hire an architect on the project.

Matheny said that one of the unnamed donors has requested the survey be performed as a reassurance that the site is suitable for the health and safety of the animals.

Scot St. John said that a phase one survey will take from four to six weeks and will include in-depth historical site data, interviews with any surviving owners/operators.

County Commissioner Tim Brown questioned funding the project when the county already knows what that corner of the former Fann Salvage site was used for.

Matheny said that “I think that we need to check that box. I think it needs to be done. For the public to be involved and have a good level of comfort. Whether it’s a $40 donor or a $40,000, we want to provide them with that level of comfort.”

Commissioner Dennis Hunt opposed the planned demolition of the so called Red Building, a holdover from the Fann business.

“As hard as it is to find roofs to put stuff under, I hate to see it torn down,” Hunt said.

He suggested holding off on the mayor’s plan to demolish the structure until an official site plan is submitted.

Matheny said that the space would likely be needed for parking, depending on the layout of the new shelter.

The Capital Outlay Committee approved a motion to direct County Purchasing Agent Stephanie Bush to begin the processes of requesting qualification information from interested architectural firms, much the same way that the county secured the services for the design of the new health department. The additional step, that included a second formal selection for the health department architect was needed due to additional requirements being added due to the county using American Recovery Act (ARP) funds.