After 26 months of delay, Kerr County breaks ground on animal control shelter

It wasn’t the most formal of groundbreakings, and common sense dictates that after 26 months of delays, the Kerr County Commissioners Court would want to celebrate its most significant capital project in years. Still, instead, we got an improvised, thrown-together effort on Friday afternoon.

The new Kerr County Animal Service shelter, which one member of the current Commissioners Court actively campaigned against, is officially underway with a bold promise.

“The magic date where we’re going to go from shovel to ribbon cutting is (Nov. 3) this year,” said Precinct 3 Commissioner Jeff Holt, who inherited oversight of the animal shelter’s construction from former Commissioner Jonathan Letz, who will now consult on the project.

It might have been an empty occasion if it hadn’t been for Kerrville Pets Alive pushing out the groundbreaking event on its social media channels. The Commissioners Court mentioned the groundbreaking on Monday, didn’t invite the media, and only invited members of the Capital Improvement Project committee a day before the event. The five-member CIP laid the groundwork for the 2022 general obligation bond but didn’t receive an invitation the day before the event.

Still, Friday’s event featured many who will help construct, staff, and volunteer at the shelter. Kerrville Pets Alive, which was instrumental in getting the bond passed, showed up in force with about 20 of its members, and staff and volunteers from the Freeman-Fritts Shelter were also on hand. Architect Peter Lewis was there, along with representatives of JK Bernhard Construction. Most of the Kerr County Animal Services team was there, including Reagan Givens, who leads that team.

There are still considerable roadblocks to the project, which proved to be more expensive than initially planned. The shelter still lacks security cameras, kennels and other key furnishings, but after the two-year delay it’s moving forward.