The county’s new dog kennel is well on its way to completion. Masonry should be finished Monday. The work crew in the photo consists of Justin Bingaman, Robert Bloom, William Miller and Dawlton Tilley.

By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            The county’s new air conditioned and heated dog kennel is well on its way toward completion by late December or early January at the Levy County Landfill property.

            Jones Masonry, which was hired to build the slab and do the concrete block work, indicated the masonry work should be completed by Monday. After that, county work crews will install the electronic wiring and a ceiling.

            County Construction and Maintenance Manager Jimmy Jones said the $225,000 donated by philanthropist Bob Echols was enough to pay for a masonry company to build the foundation, walls and 50 kennels.

            “I hope to come under budget. I think it’s going to come in real close to $225,000” he said.

            The Levy County Commission is donating the services of the county construction and maintenance crew to bring down costs. Their services and the hours worked are being tallied and will be charged against the project for auditing purposes.

            The 50 kennels will be equipped with a sliding guillotine door to allow the dogs to run outside for exercise and to be viewed by visitors on a concrete sidewalk attached to the run. Jimmy Jones said the air conditioning and heating units will be installed in the ceiling.

            Echols’ donation was used to buy all the raw materials and to hire Jones Masonry as the primary contractor. Jimmy Jones is no relation to Jones Construction. When a reporter walked on the construction site and asked for Jimmy Jones last week, the four man crew had never heard of him. They were contracted to do work. Carl Jones, who learned his masonry skills under the late Dean Hooker at Chiefland High School back in the day, is the company owner.

            The climate controlled dog kennel will be a huge improvement from what the county uses now, a dark kennel with no heat or A/C and not much artificial light.

            County commissioners have thus far declined to open Animal Services on Saturday to allow pet adopters to visit the shelter on their day off from work.  Animal Services Director David Weatherford also has shown no interest in opening on Saturdays.

            Animal Services is open at the landfill from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt: Levy County new air conditioned and heated dog kennel. Posted November 29, 2019