State awards $1 million to Joint Animal Services for new Thurston County facility

A Joint Animal Services staff member told the commission that the Washington State Legislature has awarded Joint Animal Services $1 million to help design and construct a new adoption and resource center for the Thurston County community.

"On behalf of the staff, volunteers, and the Joint Animal Services Commission, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to ... for their tremendous support during this legislative session," the staff member said, adding that the funding represents a “significant step forward” in creating a modern adoption and resource center and will help ensure animals like Pongo continue to receive care.

The announcement in the meeting was an acknowledgement of the state appropriation; no local motion or vote was recorded in the transcript segment provided. The staff member described the funding as intended to support design and construction work for a new facility serving Thurston County residents and animals.

The transcript did not specify a project schedule, additional funding sources beyond the state appropriation, or required local approvals for construction. The staff member thanked state legislators and Senator Bateman by name in the remarks, while other individual legislator names recorded in the transcript were unclear and are not repeated here due to transcription uncertainties.

Commissioners did not record a formal direction, motion, or vote in the excerpt provided. The announcement was presented as information to the commission and public; next steps such as design procurement, budget amendments, or construction approvals were not detailed in the available text.