Mar. 8—While Vermilion County Board members await a complete review of the Vermilion County Animal Shelter, Property Committee Chairman Kevin Green is asking board members to visit and tour the facility to see for themselves its condition and operations .
According to a county board property committee report, Michael Barnard of Shelter Planners of America of Arlington, Texas, was hired by the county to provide a thorough review of the Vermilion County Department of Animal Regulation and Shelter. The study and assessment of needs was conducted in Feb. 27 and Feb. 28.
Barnard toured the shelter property on Catlin-Tilton Road which includes a 50-to-60-year-old animal control building that includes a reception area, administrative officers, laundry/garage, stray cat rooms, feral cats, aggressive/rabies quarantine dogs , stray dogs, and a small area with one to two sick animals.
The 30-plus-year-old addition serves as an adoption floor for dogs and cats, get familiar space, a volunteer/bathing room, food prep/dishes area, adoption lobby that also serves as a small critter space, a veterinarian’s area for work and administrative office.
There are also several storage sheds, a parking lot, an outdoor walking trail and a dog pen.
Study topics also include: animal populations and their habitat in the facility; the court held the animals; finance; county and community facility support; medical facilities including operating rooms, sterilization equipment, storage of medical equipment, available veterinarians, relationship with the University of Illinois School of Veterinary Medicine, storage and disposal of carcasses, -storage of specimens awaiting rabies testing and animal processing; jurisdictional contracts; volunteer, foster and other programs.
A complete report will be presented to the county in a few weeks, according to Green.
