A proposed $1.1 million animal shelter continues to gain momentum in Greene County.

A series of public meetings were held earlier this month to inform the public about the project. Coordinator Don Orris reflects on the meetings.

“I thought the meetings went very well. Information-wise I think people have that. It’s so important for us to have the information and facts out there as they are. We will start fundraising after we have everything in place, we have a couple of things we would like to do. When we get all of those things in place, we will start fundraising probably March or April to get all of that accomplished.”

The Greene County Supervisors on Monday approved a letter of support for the project so that the steering committee could apply for a Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation grant. The Jefferson City Council also approved a resolution to accept donations towards the $1.1 million fundraising goal. As part of the plans, Orris says the entire operation of the facility would be overseen by a seven-member board.

“We will have representation from across the county and say, ‘Here’s the procedures,’ and write all of the details of what we need to have to run the facility. There will be a person who is hired to oversee the facility and that person will report to the seven-person board to make sure that if we need to change policies or change procedures along the way, they will do all of that, and then report to the city council.”

Plans for the facility, as well as operational budget breakdowns, can be found below.

Animal Shelter Operational Budget

Animal Shelter Building Cost Estimate