Residents, volunteers press North Augusta leaders for new animal shelter and improved care

Residents and animal-welfare volunteers urged the City of North Augusta on Aug. 4 to accelerate plans for a new animal shelter, improve short-term care at the city pound and formally engage rescue organizations and volunteers in a working coalition.

At a public “power hour” before the City Council meeting, Tyler Gallus, president of Friends of North Augusta Animals (FONA), and several residents described what they said were unsafe conditions at the pound and gaps in communication between the city and rescue partners. Gallus acknowledged recent outreach from the city’s animal-control leadership and asked the council to convene a working coalition of citizens, rescue groups and veterinary experts ahead of a study session the council plans for September.

“The dogs deserve the right to be safe and treated humanely,” Gallus said, noting the recent loss of four puppies at the pound and saying volunteers need clearer access and more timely veterinary care. He told the council that as of July 1 only about 25% of the budget allocated for veterinary services had been used and urged that the city use existing consultant recommendations rather than re-inventing solutions.

Resident Tabitha Waldrop said the 2019 community sheltering assessment found the facility did not meet standards set by the ASPCA and other best-practice guidelines and recommended against further investment in the current facility. Waldrop proposed a phased, scalable animal-services plan and suggested exploring funding sources including impact fees and federal American Rescue Plan Act allocations.

“I’m officially proposing a formal animal services and animal shelter plan that’s phased for buildout and scalable through 10 years,” Waldrop said, offering to provide a written draft and sample funding requests to the council.

Longtime volunteer Linda Smith described the current pound’s condition in detail, saying floors are peeling, kennels are chain-link without separate isolation space and volunteers lack reliable access because a single animal-control officer must also perform other duties such as roadkill pickup.

“We meet none of them,” Smith said of the ASPCA standards. She and other speakers pressed the council for immediate steps: increased on-site staffing coverage so volunteers can work during set hours, more veterinary access and short-term renovations while a new facility is planned.

Council members did not take formal action at the meeting; an administration representative and the mayor said the comments and materials would be taken into advisement as the council prepares for the forthcoming study session. Assistant Administrator JD McCauley (filling in for City Administrator Clifford) and Captain Hayes of the animal-control division were cited by speakers as having engaged recently with volunteers.

Speakers also compared North Augusta’s situation to nearby jurisdictions. Gallus suggested outreach to Edgefield County officials because Edgefield used ARPA funds for a shelter project; Waldrop noted Edgefield spent about $550,000 of ARPA on its shelter and that building costs in the area have run higher than that.

Volunteers and speakers asked the city to use city social media to promote adoptable dogs, reauthorize volunteer transport and set fixed volunteer hours; they also asked the council to pull the city’s 2019 consultant report from the file and act on its recommendations. Several speakers emphasized that a volunteer-supported working coalition could begin before the council’s scheduled study session.

The meeting record shows no vote or ordinance tied to these comments. Council members repeatedly said they were gathering information and would plan the study session in coming weeks.

Ending: Volunteers said they will continue outreach and promised to submit written proposals and funding templates to the administration; the council said it would review those materials as it schedules the study session.