082020
Animal Services Advisory
Board Meeting
6:00 pm, August 20, 2020
The Randolph County Animal Services Advisory Board met in regular session on August 20, 2020, at
6:00 p.m. in the Randolph County Office Building Meeting Room A, 725 McDowell Road, Asheboro, NC.
Commissioner Darrell Frye, Commissioner David Allen, Cynthia Grantham, Lou Wilson, J.R. Beard, and
Jason Balder were in attendance. Also present were Ex-Officio member County Manager Hal Johnson,
Clerk to the Board Sarah Pack, Animal Services Manager Heather Wood, Animal Services Adoption
Coordinator Heather Stewart, Animal Control Manager Jonathan Moody, Animal Control Officer Chase
Bryant, and County Engineer Paxton Arthurs. Lisa Sparks, April Wilburn, and Sgt. Lawrence Albright were
absent. The Veterinarian seat and one animal rescue/volunteer community seat are vacant at this time.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing was maintained throughout the meeting.
Call to Order and Opening Comments
Commissioner Frye called the meeting to order and welcomed the Board members. J.R. Beard made a
motion to adopt the minutes of the March 5, 2020, and June 18, 2020, meetings and was seconded by
Jason Balder. The Board unanimously approved the minutes for both meetings.
Animal Shelter Operations Overview
Heather Wood gave an overview of an ongoing neglect case regarding a dog named Angel. She
described the poor treatment the dog endured. The Shelter has raised $3,265 for Angel’s continuing care.
She next talked about the Animal Shelter’s mascot, a dog named Bruce. Bruce was found in a ditch in
Archdale with multiple injuries. Officer Allred, Archdale City Police Department, found him. Bruce has
been traveling all over the County to visit different County departments, municipalities, and businesses.
He has an upcoming surgery to remove his eye that was injured when he was found. Mr. Beard asked if
there were enough funds to cover the surgery. Ms. Wood is going to share the cost when available.
Animal Control Officers Moody and Bryant drove their new Animal Services trucks to the meeting and
Ms. Wood invited attendees to see the trucks at the end of the meeting. She showed the floor plan of
the anticipated dangerous dog containment area and the guidelines for the on-call animal control officers.
Mr. Beard asked if Bruce could visit the Liberty Town Council. Heather Stewart coordinates Bruce’s
visits.
08/20/2020
Mr. Johnson is very impressed with what Ms. Stewart is doing with the Animal Services’ social media
outreach program. The first change was posting found animals on the Facebook page and the program
snowballed. Adoptions and events are shared on Facebook now as well. Mr. Johnson said that he
appreciates the quick response to citizen comments and questions and the engagement is strengthening
the networking in the community. Ms. Wood said that sharing the contact information on social media
has been very helpful. Mr. Johnson enjoys reading the descriptions of the pets that are listed on social
media. Ms. Grantham said her favorite thing about the social media outreach is the ability to reunite lost
pets with their owners.
Ms. Stewart began searching for nursing homes needing pen pals and helped Bruce send letters to
residents. Commissioner Allen asked if there were any challenges the Shelter is facing due to the
pandemic. Ms. Wood said the appointment only initiative has worked well for them. The only issues
they’ve found is people trying to come in without an appointment.
Municipal Government Contacts
Animal Control Officer Jonathan Moody gave a presentation regarding new on-call initiatives. They
had not been updated since the 1990s. Seventy to eighty percent of Animal Services calls were being
handled by the Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Office will now only respond to emergency “in-the-
moment” calls. Animal Services officers have more training to deal with animals and will be handling non-
emergency calls. The new protocols will make documentation of calls simpler. Animal Services staff has
been meeting with municipalities to establish connections and receive feedback about the services
provided. Response time was an issue. Officer Moody is hiring a new officer; one for each of the four
zones in the county.
Mr. Johnson appreciated the establishment of zones in order to reduce response time. Once the
department is fully staffed, response times should be drastically shortened. Mr. Moody said the next step
is to begin talking to police departments in order to establish communication and a working relationship.
Relationships have already been improved between Animal Services and law enforcement. The zones
split at 64 E/W and 220 E/W.
Commissioner Frye asked how short staffed the department is. Mr. Moody said one person.
Commissioner Frye asked if someone will be trained for the new hire. Mr. Moody said there will be an
internal trainee position. There are several people within the department that want to apply. This could
be beneficial because the employee can be trained in the Animal Services protocols right from the start.
An internal position listing has been posted.
Mr. Johnson said creating an internal trainee position is significant and will be highly beneficial. A
variety of new resources will be implemented into training so that retraining is not needed. There will
also be management training for Shelter management staff.
08/20/2020
Animal Services will be expanding into another County building near the Shelter in order to have room
for Animal Control Officers to have a base. Staff and citizens seem to be happy with the changes at Animal
Services.
Mr. Johnson told an anecdote of a family member with a bat in their home. Animal Services was very
professional and helpful in removing the bat from the home. Mr. Moody said training is huge; proper
training will prevent injuries.
Commissioner Frye asked if there were any rabies cases in the county. Mr. Moody said there have
been animals showing signs but he was not completely sure of laboratory confirmed positive cases
because there was no contact with the animals in questions. An adult fox was brought in showing
symptoms, but since there was no exposure, the animal did not have to be sent off.
Capital Improvements Updates
Mr. Johnson said the County is only as good as the people working in departments. People working
together can share problems and solutions. Paxton Arthurs, County Engineer, has been working with staff
at the shelter to accomplish their facility-related goals.
Mr. Arthurs said that previously, a 20x20 detached office for Animal Control Officers was planned. This
has been changed to a 25x25 building to house aggressive animals. There will be room for six kennels.
The building has been simplified in order to keep cost down with smaller outside kennels and an external
area to house heating, cooling, and electrical elements. The Old Transfer Station Office will be used for
Animal Control Officers as explained by Mr. Moody. Under the new management structure, it makes
sense for Mr. Moody and the other officers to have this area as a base to work out of. It is close enough
to the Animal Shelter that communication will still be simple.
Mr. Arthurs stated that there will be updates to the medical office and euthanasia room in the Shelter.
The County Maintenance Department is working on upgrades. The rooms will have wet tables as
previously planned.
Commissioner Allen asked if Waste Management had been using the Transfer Station. Mr. Arthurs said
yes, they were using it as an office for their drivers. Originally the site was going to be used for recycling,
but it ended up being cheaper to haul recyclables directly.
Commissioner Allen asked if we have a relationship with them to ask them to relinquish the building.
Mr. Arthurs said yes and there are other options available nearby for the Waste Management drivers to
use.
08/20/2020
Mr. Johnson asked when the construction for the kennels would start and when it would be completed.
Mr. Arthurs said hopefully as soon as possible, but he still has to complete the drawings and get bids. It
could be in the next month or so.
Commissioner Frye asked if the drawing showed two sided kennels. Mr. Arthurs said that the kennels
are divided into indoor and outdoor kennels that are connected by a guillotine door. The dogs don’t spend
much time outdoors which is why the footprint of the outdoor kennels was reduced in the site plan.
Ms. Grantham asked if there were grades or drains in the kennels. Mr. Arthurs said yes, there is an
existing drain. There will be a drain or catch basin will added into the front of the building. There are two
trench drains in the back and an existing sewer line that could be tapped into.
Commissioner Frye asked if a timeline could be presented at the next meeting and Mr. Arthurs said
yes.
Public Comment Period
Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 153A-52.1, Commissioner Frye opened the floor for public comment and closed
it after everyone wishing to speak had done so. There were no public comments.
Adjournment
Commissioner Frye said that the Boardmembers’ presence at the meeting showed their dedication to
doing the right thing. He thanked the members for their cooperation. There are so many jobs in the
County that have to continue regardless of the pandemic. Animal Services still must provide services even
through the risks.
With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:41 p.m.
08/20/2020