By Josh Bergeron 

josh.bergeron@salisburypost.com

Rowan County isn’t done making major changes to the animal shelter.

Following a complete reorganization last week, county officials made another significant change this week to management at the shelter. During a closed-to-the-public meeting, the county’s personnel board combined two positions at the shelter — animal shelter manager and veterinary technician — to ensure the next shelter manager will have a doctorate in veterinary medicine. Both positions were vacant.

Over time, the new position will lead to decreased costs and in-house spay and neuter services, said County Manager Aaron Church. For now, the changed position will cost the county an additional $12,000.

Depending on the applicant, Rowan County’s new shelter manager would make between $62,000 and $99,000, according to Church. It would be more than former Animal Control Supervisor Clai Martin, who makes about $55,000 per year, and potentially more than newly promoted Animal Services Director Bob Pendergrass, who makes $70,000 in his new role, according to Church.

When asked about the change, County Commissioners Chairman Greg Edds noted that it should eventually cut costs. Edds called the change to a veterinarian overseeing the shelter “a continued commitment to improving our facility and turning the animal shelter into the best in its class.”

The county will begin advertising for the shelter manager position immediately, according to Church.

Church said county leaders are continuously trying to improve the animal shelter’s quality. He said a number of changes still need to be completed. Some of the changes he mentioned were outlined in a January letter from the N.C. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare Section.

The letter — from State Animal Welfare Director Patricia Norris — suggests Rowan County individually assess foster and rescue groups that adopt animals from the shelter. It recommends a more rigorous process before allowing foster care programs and animal rescue organizations to adopt animals, including unannounced site inspections, limitations on the number of animals and written applications.

The more stringent requirements may have applied to local rescue group Purfect Purbaby Rescue. The group was banned from the shelter after animal abandonment charges were filed against Jen Frasier, who ran the nonprofit. Purfect Purbaby Rescue and Jen Frasier were the shelter’s top adopters, respectively, in 2015. Church provided adoption numbers that show Frasier, individually, adopting 419 animals in 2015 and Purfect Purbaby Rescue adopting 512 animals. Frasier and her nonprofit represented about 25 percent of the shelter’s total adoptions in 2015.

Implementing a volunteer program — allowing members of the public to spend time helping at the shelter — is also on the county’s to-do list. Animal advocates for months have pushed for a volunteer program to be implemented. Church said Pendergrass will ultimately make the decision about when volunteers can begin helping at the shelter.

The state’s letter suggests a formalized training program for staff and volunteers.

Multiple times, the letter addresses recent expansions at the shelter, which include a cat wing.

“The new facilities have the potential to greatly enhance the current and future programs,” Norris’ states in her letter. “In many ways the shelter is almost recreating itself.”

Norris’ review came at the request of Church.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.