Jessamine County Animal Care and Control officials and volunteers will celebrate the opening of the new animal shelter with two events: a chamber of commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. June 29 and an open house from 1 - 4 p.m. June 30.
The new shelter is located behind the former shelter building on the Nicholasville City/County Park property. The front of the new facility faces what will be the Eastern By-pass. The new shelter, at 9,000 square feet, is significantly larger than the former 1,600-square-foot structure, and includes dedicated office areas as well as public holding areas for dogs, cats and other animals that have been vaccinated and have been evaluated as “adoptable.” Non-public areas in the shelter hold animals that are waiting for evaluation and/or those animals that have been evaluated as vicious or diseased, according to a press release.
The new building was designed to be very accessible to the public, with a multi-purpose education room, as well as a “meet and greet” room. The facility also has a cat room, an isolation area, a surgery room and a food preparation area, along with a laundry room area and break room for employees.