By Staff
WORKING THE PHONES Cathy Long, vice president of the Lauderdale County Humane Society, is in the midst of a telephone campaign urging county residents to call their supervisors and ask them to support a long lease for the new animal shelter. Photo by Carisa McCain/The Meridian Star
By Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
June 1, 2001
Lauderdale County Humane Society volunteers appear to be back at square one in their goal to establish an animal shelter.
Humane Society organizer Cheryl Walton and Vice President Cathy Long asked the board of supervisors at a Thursday work session for a long-term lease on a Lovers' Lane site.
The board gave the Humane Society a six-month lease that will end Oct. 1 not far away for volunteers who have only recently acquired the funding and materials needed to renovate the buildings.
Long said volunteers and donors shouldn't be asked to contribute again in six months, and the society will not qualify for grants unless it owns property or has a long-term lease.
She said Lauderdale County officials present the area as a "progressive, forward-thinking community" and that not having a shelter could hinder economic development.
District 5 Supervisor Ray Boswell said the Humane Society is an educational tool needed in Lauderdale County, education which could extend into area schools.
Then he said he gave his word to the board he would not push them to make the Lovers' Lane site a permanent one. He said he will continue to support the Humane Society regardless of where it is located.
District 3 Supervisor Craig Hitt supports the Lover's Lane site.
Walton and Long are telephoning residents and urging them to lobby their supervisors.
Board President Jimmie Smith and District 4 Supervisor Q.V. Sykes are adamant that the buildings remain available for future recreational purposes.
In a stalemate, Smith directed the matter back to a supervisors' Animal Control Committee, consisting of Boswell and Hitt. The two will begin anew the search for a permanent site.
Sheila Blackmon is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. Call her at 693-1551, ext. 3275, or e-mail her at sblackmon@themeridianstar.com.