Rockingham shelter committee meets Thursday

The Rockingham County Animal Shelter Advisory Committee meets Thursday to discuss fundraising efforts and final designs for the new shelter.
The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Governmental Center in Wentworth. It is open to the public.
Adam Lindsay organizes the committee’s meetings. He also serves as budget and performance manager for the county.
The commissioners have already committed about $800,000 to the new shelter, but the new facility is projected to cost $1.6 million. To make up the difference, a fundraising initiative called the Rockingham County Animal Shelter Campaign hopes to collect private donations through brick-paver sales, corporate sponsorships, grants and fundraisers.
Lindsay said this would be the final gathering before the campaign’s first major fundraising event.
Saturday, renowned acoustic band Mountain Heart is playing a benefit show in the Reidsville High School Auditorium. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Nashville sextet will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. They are available online at rockinghamcountyanimalshelter.org and during business hours at the Reidsville Chamber of Commerce, Pizza Station in Reidsville and the Eden Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to rallying the troops for the fundraiser, Lindsay hopes approval will be granted to allow the architect to develop the final design of the new shelter. Lindsay said the design plans are slightly different from what they have been in the past.
In Lindsay’s opinion, the most important thing is to move out of the present facility. He said it was not designed to hold the number of animals going through it now.
“The current situation is not ideal,” Lindsay said. “The time is right to make a change.”
If building everything at once is not a feasible option, Lindsay said a core – which could be expanded—would be constructed.
The core of the new facility will be the animal shelter. Additional features, which could be added on later, include an adoption center, a spay-and-neuter clinic, an educational training center and administrative offices.
“We would like to do it all at once, but we don’t want to be waiting on fundraising,” he said. “I think this is a more practical approach. These are tough economic times.”
Lindsay said people in the county are overwhelmingly in favor of building a new animal shelter. He said people want the animals to be held in a humane and clean facility.
The Rockingham County Animal Shelter Advisory Committee officially formed in February 2008. Committee Chairman David Isley could not be reached Wednesday for comment.
For more information regarding the proposed animal shelter or upcoming fundraising events, visit rockinghamcountyanimalshelter.org.

Staff writer Mike Ryan can be reached at or at 349-4331, ext. 34.