Ground broken on DeKalb animal shelter
Construction of a new DeKalb animal shelter began Wednesday after years of efforts to replace the county's aging and inadequate facility.
Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May and county commissioners broke ground on the 33,440-square-foot building near DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. Construction is scheduled to be completed within a year.
The animal shelter, which will cost $8.6 million to build, will have 12 adoption rooms for dogs and three adoption rooms for cats.
It also includes a clinic with spay and neuter services, surgery rooms and a lab.
DeKalb's existing animal shelter off Memorial Drive had serious health hazards, including bug infestations and mold, according to a 2011 report from a citizen task force.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
