HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Christian County Animal Shelter is set to receive a half a million-dollar upgrade to their facility, which is aimed to boost both their functionality and capacity with an agility course, more kennels and an expanded lobby.

The Christian County Fiscal Court voted to accept a construction bid for the new design during the Sept. 8 meeting for $627,583. Judge Executive Jerry Gilliam explained that although this number seems daunting, it will not all fall on the fiscal court. He said, “There are several sources going in to fund that including last year carry over.”

Last year fiscal year, the fiscal court had put aside capital dollars that were intended to fund upgrades at the animal shelter which ended up not being used. Gilliam added that there was also an estate gift awarded to the shelter, which will be utilized alongside $80,000 in grant money.

The animal shelter has frequently dealt with high intake numbers as they accept animals from various animal control departments including neighboring Trigg County. On average they house 250-350 pets each month, with numbers fluctuating and spiking throughout the year.

What the expansion entails

The project has two components, which will be completed by Gilliand Construction. They will provide space for 34 additional kennels in the back of the facility and construct an addition to the front of the building with the goal providing more space for incoming patrons and make it more aesthetically pleasing. Gilliam added, “This will actually cover some safety issues too, there are a lot of dogs in that tight space of the lobby.”

Fencing in the back of the building will also be adjusted to accommodate a new agility course that has been donated for the animals to use.

The court previously had a consultant examine the shelter, and a lot of those recommendations were taken into consideration for this design. the project will start later this month, and expected to be completed by February of 2027.

Both projects are aimed to occur simultaneously, which may result in temporary adjustments by the shelter, hopefully with minimal disruptions. Magistrate John Bruce added that this new layout will also allow the shelter to properly isolate incoming pets from animal control to prevent the potential spread of diseases and will function long term.

The bid was unanimously accepted by the fiscal court.

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