The Coffee County Healthwell, Fair and Recreation Committee received updates on Oct. 1 about the county animal shelter’s operational needs and public-health concerns after a committee member said the shelter remains short on food and cash donations. "They've gotten some donations, but they're still needing food and cash donations to carry them through," a committee member said.

The committee discussed recent maintenance at the shelter, including backfilling and metal building repairs; Terry was named as the person who had been working on those issues. "The animal shelter had run into some problems and I think Terry has that worked out with them on the backfilling and stuff on the metal building," the member said.

The nut graf: Committee members emphasized donations and public caution after an employee connected to local schools suffered a serious infection after a cat bite, underscoring concerns about feral animals and the need for vaccinations and spay/neuter programs.

A committee member described a recent hospitalization unrelated to rabies but resulting from a cat bite: "This happened at their home, but they were bitten by a cat. ... they have a real bad infection on their arm right now when they are in hospital." The speaker urged wound care and vaccinations and said spay-and-neuter efforts help reduce feral populations. "Have them vaccinated, spayed and neutered like they used to say. Always doing that, keeping bridal population down," the speaker said.

Participants noted a feral-cat problem in the county and raised the risk such populations pose to public health. One member asked the shelter and volunteer networks to be mindful of bite risks when handling or feeding feral animals; volunteers who trap and transport animals were discussed as an ongoing local solution.

The committee also discussed outreach opportunities tied to community events. Members suggested the animal shelter consider participating in Manchester City’s Safe on the Square event Oct. 31 to connect with families and potential donors; the event is organized by Manchester City with approximately 50 businesses contributing, and the theme this year is Toy Story. A committee member said the county contributed to the event last year but was not aware of a contribution this year.

Ending: Committee members left the items as operational matters and outreach suggestions: continue donation drives, coordinate shelter maintenance with Terry and county operations, and consider outreach at the Safe on the Square event. No formal appropriation or vote specific to the shelter was recorded in the meeting.