The Crossville city council approved a
motion that could provide a new location for the Cumberland County
animal shelter if the group known as FOCCAS can raise additional
funds toward the shelter and a proposed new adoption center.
Focus on Cumberland County Animal
Shelter has been working for some time on improvements to the animal
shelter that is located on property that once served the community as
landfill. The building is in poor shape according to the group and
many of the animals spend at least part of their time outside even in
the winter.
Dr. Mark Hendrixson with FOCCAS
Dr. Mark Hendrixson, spokesman for
FOCCAS gave a presentation to the council during their January work
session about the plans and their request for a more central location
for the animal shelter facility and adoption center. Hendrixson said
that the group had looked at property on the back side of the city's
Centennial Park near the current dog park. Currently the group has
some $200,000 in commitments and feels a better location would allow
them to raise much more toward the project.
Mayor pro-tem J. H. Graham moved that
FOCCAS be given six months to raise an additional $200,000 in
donations including pledges and in-kind materials and if they raise
the total $400,000 matched with funds budgeted by the city and county
($90,000 each) then an area of city property with an appropriate
amount of acreage will be dedicated to the Crossville/Cumberland
County animal shelter.
Mayor James Mayberry said he had
concerns over the action that concerns the county operated animal
shelter and that none of the plan has been discussed with the county
nor does it meet requirements they had previously mentioned. “I
think this is a little premature and there needs to be a little more
discussion on a location.
The motion was approved with four aye votes and Mayor Mayberry opposed.
City Council discusses FOCCAS proposal
Prior to the discussion, the matter was
mentioned during the time of public comment by Margie Buxbaum.
Buxbaum is a supporter of the dog park and said she very much in
favor of a new animal shelter. She said her concern was the location
near the dog park and the possibility that people would come and just
dump their dogs in the dog park. Buxbaum agreed that the current
location of the animal shelter was completely inappropriate for an
adoption center.
Margie Buxbaum public comments
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