Thursday, April 25, 2024
The county’s Animal Control facility is only a few years old, but the state is threatening to shut it down if repairs costing tens of thousands of dollars aren’t made by March.
Sheriff Roger Deeds said the repairs are related to cost-saving measures taken by the Commissioners Court when the building off Highway 51 was being constructed.
At Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Commissioners Court, which as of this month has three new members, the court approved just under $60,000 to replace rusty window sills in the dog area.
That may seem like a minor issue but for inspectors with the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, it isn’t.
They’ll shut the place down over it, county officials said.
The metal on the window sills has rusted through and is flaking, leaving sharp and ragged edges.
“It’s rotting out really, really bad,” Deeds told the HCN on Wednesday.
He said that part of the reason the window sills are decaying is because of bleach used to kill germs. The affected portion of the facility includes the quarantine area for dogs.
The problem has not affected the area where cats and kittens are housed, Deeds said, because “the cats all stay in stainless steel cages that are easier to clean.”
The window sills “should have never been metal in the first place,” he said. “It should have been steel or aluminum.”
He added, “It’s really bad. It looks like a 40-year-old facility. It’s just rotting that fast.”
Deeds said that efforts were ongoing “for the better part of last year” to get the problem addressed.
He stated that there were some issues involving the county’s Facilities and Maintenance Department, but added that when Jay Riley was hired as the department’s new director, he quickly “jumped on top of it.”
Riley addressed the Commissioners Court about the problem on Tuesday and stated that he had obtained a half dozen bids. He said that the highest bid, which was to replace all of the sills with stainless steel, was about $81,000.
County Judge Ron Massingill and the four commissioners opted for a less costly option, but one that will presumably prevent the problem from reoccurring. That option involves galvanized steel and aluminum.
The bid approved by commissioners was for $59,799, to be taken from Fund 55. That fund is used for a variety of expenses that arise during the budget year.
Lt. Lynn McDonald told court members that the shelter was cited by state inspectors because of the condition of the windows.
He said that after the repairs are made the county’s maintenance department will check the sills every few months.
Precinct 1 Commissioner James Deaver encouraged the court to move on the matter.
“We need to get it done, bottom line,” he said. “We won’t have (an) Animal Control if we don’t.”
