Carbon County shelter committee approves proposal to seek commissioner approval for fenced dog play area; facility repairs, donations reviewed

The Carbon County Animal Shelter Advisory Commission on June 3 voted to send a proposal to county commissioners asking for approval to build a small, staff-supervised fenced dog play area on county property adjacent to the shelter’s memorial garden.

The move came during new-business discussion after the commission reviewed director reports on shelter operations, donations and pending facility repairs. The commission also discussed pending camera installation in the kennel area, completion of remaining kennel doors, a partially leaking roof, and fundraising plans including an anticipated yard sale and a proposed Eagle Scout donation-box project.

The fenced-area proposal would limit access to shelter dogs and staff rather than be open to the public. The commission members said the enclosure is intended for enrichment and to allow staff to observe dogs off leash before adoption. The commission asked staff to prepare a letter and forward the proposal to the county commissioners for approval; the commission voted in favor of sending that request.

Tom, director of the Carbon County Animal Shelter, gave the operations report for April and May. For April he reported 16 kennels, 22 dogs at the start of the month and 16 at the end; seven adoptions, one owner surrender, eight reclaimed by owners and seven police calls. For May, he reported 16 kennels, 16 dogs at the start of the month and 15 at the end; nine adoptions, two owner surrenders, four reclaimed by owners, 11 police calls and nine after-hours calls. Tom said FreshPak donated a pallet of food in April and another donation in May; he reported $2,736 in food donations for April and $5,141 for May, and supplies expenditures of about $20,091 (April) and $2,658 (May) covering cleaning and maintenance supplies.

Commission members raised several facility items for follow-up. They reported that three remaining kennel doors have been ordered and are expected to complete the set. Cameras for the kennel area have been inspected and staff are awaiting installation. A roof leak that appears weather-dependent is causing a small mold spot in a ceiling tile; members said they want the leak addressed to avoid further damage.

The commission discussed a shed repair project funded in part by donations. Members said roughly $5,000 has been donated toward materials for the shed, and discussed soliciting bids from local contractors to complete the work rather than relying on county maintenance because of competing county priorities. They asked staff to assemble a cost estimate and a bid packet they could forward to the commissioners for approval.

Fundraising and community support items included a pending yard sale request that the commission said was expected to be approved by the county this week; if approved, commissioners said the shelter will seek another short-term storage unit for donated items. The commission also told county commissioners about an Eagle Scout candidate who has proposed building a weather-protected donation box to accept after-hours contributions; the commission said past scout projects have been successful and recommended approval.

The commission held routine procedural business at the start of the meeting: it approved April minutes and approved corrected February 2025 minutes after noting a date correction. Members scheduled the next regular meeting for August 2025 at 6 p.m. at 44 Susquehanna Street.

No formal legal authorities or new budget appropriations were enacted at the meeting; the commission voted to forward requests and proposals to the county commissioners for formal action where required.