Advertising bids for new animal shelter approved by Board of Mayor and Aldermen

During Monday’s Board of Mayor and Alderman meeting, the Board voted to approve advertising for bids for the new Vicksburg animal shelter facility, allowing the project to move forward.

The new animal shelter 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The outdated facility on Old Mill Road in the Kings Community has been plagued for years with flooding and flash flooding and the aging unit continues to struggle with the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 and has maxed out its capacity several times this year.

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.