The Tri-County Animal Shelter is getting a new name.
The Rowan County Fiscal Court voted Tuesday, August 18, to rename the facility the Rowan County Animal Control Facility, formally removing the "Tri-County" designation that dates back to the facility's original partnership involving Rowan, Bath and Fleming counties.
Rowan County Judge-Executive Harry Clark said the old name has continued to create confusion, particularly among residents of neighboring counties who believe the facility remains a three-county operation.
"The phones keep ringing from the other counties because it is a Tri-County Animal Shelter by name," Clark explained.
According to Clark, Rowan County has attempted to accommodate animals from other counties when space is available, but the facility is now owned, operated and funded by Rowan County.
Clark also said "Animal Control Facility" more accurately describes its purpose.
"We're not really a shelter. We are a control facility," Clark said. "We control the pet population."
How the Tri-County Facility Began
Clark used Tuesday's discussion to recount the history behind the Tri-County name.
The facility was originally conceived as a joint effort involving Rowan, Bath and Fleming counties.
According to Clark, each of the three counties had approximately $35,000 in grant funding available for the project. Officials explored potential locations throughout the participating counties before ultimately choosing Rowan County.
One major factor was property.
Rowan County already owned property along KY 519, while obtaining suitable property elsewhere would have added substantially to the project's cost.
Clark said an initial estimate to construct the facility came in at approximately $485,000.
That price changed the partnership.
According to Clark, Bath and Fleming counties subsequently withdrew rather than take on the additional expense associated with constructing the animal-control facility.
Their withdrawal also freed the grant funding that had originally been allocated to those counties.
Clark said then-Judge-Executive Jim Nickell worked with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to have the grant funds from Bath and Fleming counties released to Rowan County so the project could proceed.
As part of that arrangement, Rowan County agreed to accept animals from the other two counties for one year.
Clark said that arrangement was manageable at the time because the volume of animals coming into the facility was considerably smaller than it is today.
Rowan County Now Bears the Cost
Years later, Clark said there is little about the operation that remains "tri-county."
He estimated Rowan County's current animal-control budget at more than $300,000.
"I don't see Bath County and Fleming County giving us anything like that," Clark said.
He summarized the situation plainly: the facility is owned by Rowan County, operated by Rowan County and controlled by Rowan County.
That reality, combined with the continuing confusion created by the Tri-County name, prompted Tuesday's request for the change.
Fiscal Court approved the motion to rename the facility the Rowan County Animal Control Facility.
The change closes a chapter that began with an effort by three neighboring counties to jointly establish an animal facility, but ultimately evolved into an operation supported and managed by Rowan County alone.
This public announcement has been brought to you by our partners at Fresh Start Health.
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