City of Jackson plans to vote on contractor bid for new animal care center

DOWNTOWN JACKSON, Tenn.–  The Jackson Animal Care Center is a no-kill shelter for animals in need of a home, and for years, the City of Jackson has been planning to expand their building.

“It just will lead us, our city and our community into the next level, as we care for animals and get them into their forever homes,” said Vicki Lake, chairperson for the project.

In the past, plans to build a new building were halted due to lack of funding, but now that has changed.

“It’s just wonderful that the council and the mayor have funded this to the tune that they have,” Lake said.

During the agenda review meeting, city council members said that they have budgeted over one million dollars towards the new center.

“It’s wonderful, it will be a state-of-the-art center. It will have plenty of space. It will have the quarantine area and then the adoption center,” Lake said.

City council members say that their bidding department has been doing their homework to hire the best contractor, in the hopes that this project is done as soon as possible.

“Coming up Tuesday, we will be voting to accept a bid for the new animal care center that will be built,” said city councilman Ross Priddy of District 5.

Those leading the project are confident that the center is moving in the right direction.

“It’s just a wonderful opportunity for us to be a first-class citizen in relation to how we care for our animals,” Lake said.

In the meeting, an additional 50,000 dollars was given by a donor to help build the animal care center, with another 50,000 expected to be given once the project is complete.