By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The clock is ticking on the city of Hoisington's decision regarding animal control. The city currently uses Hoisington Veterinary Clinic for impounded animals. That agreement will end Dec. 31, and at Monday's council meeting, City Manager Jonathan Mitchell said there are various other time-sensitive issues to figure out if the city wants its own pound facility.
"We got a notice of termination last week that we would still continue to have service with them through the end of the year, but we are going to have to find another alternative," Mitchell said. "We've reached out to a number of service providers in the area and most of them are full or they're not interested in working with the city on an agreement like this."
The proposed pound would be built south of the new city shop. It would include a six-foot wide sidewalk, six-foot high chain link fencing, and several 4x12-foot runs for dogs. By law, it would also include two enclosed, climate-controlled rooms.
"You're also required to have a separate area for cats," said Mitchell. "It has to be a climate-controlled space, and cats cannot be next to dogs. You have to have an alternative space for dogs."
A separate heating-cooling unit would be used for a 6x12-foot cat room and a 12x12-foot dog room. Dogs that cannot regulate their temperatures would be kept in there when temperatures exceed 85 degrees or dip below 50 degrees. Mitchell said city crews have estimated a price tag of $15,000 that includes new concrete, chain link fencing, framework, and the heating-cooling units.
"The wildcard, in my mind, is really the price of kennels," he said. "If you look at stainless kennels, which is what most boarding and grooming facilities look at because of longevity, wear, and durability, they're very expensive."
City staff has reached out to various area providers that may have used kennels for sale. New kennels could take up to a month to arrive, and state code enforcement officials could need two to three weeks to schedule an inspection. Needing to have the facility running by Jan. 1, 2024, puts the city on a tight timeline.
Mitchell said early plans include using current animal control to take care of any impounded animals during the week. On average, he expects the facility to handle five to seven animals a week.
"It's not like you're going to have a hundred dogs in there every day," he said. "They would go and pick up the solid waste, rinse down the liquid waste, make sure the dog is fed and watered. On the weekends, we would probably look to have a part-time person come or some animal enthusiast come in and help out."