Board of Mayor and Aldermen expect to open bids on new animal shelter this week

At the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting on Monday, Mayor Flaggs announced that the final draft of the new animal shelter design is complete and under review.

“Jeff Richardson, the community development director, is reviewing the design,” Flaggs said.  “We will probably have a special called meeting this week to send out for construction bids for the shelter.”

The new animal shelter facility for the City of Vicksburg was approved by the Board of Mayor and Alderman last October. The new facility is planned to be located on Highway 61 South on the lot next to Mid-South Lumber. The building to be used for the new facility was graciously donated to the City of Vicksburg by Earnest Thomas before his death.

The top of the line facility is expected to cost close to $1 million dollars with the estimated cost range to be from $993,000 to $1.4 million. The 10,000 square foot facility will be able to house many more animals and meet all the qualifiers animal advocates had proposed for the community. It will also offer a special area to visit the animals.

The outdated facility on Old Mill Road in the Kings Community has been plagued for years with flooding and flash flooding and the aging unit continues to struggle with the volume of animals that come through there. Currently, the facility can only house 18 dogs and 39 smaller animals.