The Scoop: When property goes to the dogs
It looks like the animal shelter has decided to get out of the dog business. That’s usually not promising news.
I would compare it to police officers deciding to get out of the crime-fighting business, or barbers deciding to get out of the hair-cutting business.
But wait ? up in the sky ? it’s a bird ? it’s a plane ? it’s Warren County government. Our fearless county leaders have come to save this community from the stray dogs that are sure to roam our streets, knock over our trash cans, and chase our children on bikes.
And I say that in all seriousness. Dogs can be lovable and they can be great companions. But anyone who has ever had a problem with stray dogs knows they can be a major nuisance. Outside of that neighbor with a Mustang who likes to see if he can drive 95 mph past your house, stray dogs can be one of the biggest problems homeowners face.
That’s why it’s essential for the county to jump into the dog business with both feet now that the Humane Society has decided to sell the property where the animal shelter is located on Collie Lane.
When I heard about the Humane Society’s plan to sell the animal shelter property, the first thing that came to mind was what was the organization going to do with all that money? Then I began thinking about the property for sale.
Talk about undesirable locations and the animal shelter is about as bad as it gets. I guess a nuclear power plant in your backyard might be worse. Or a shooting range. But outside of those two things, I can’t think of much worse than the animal shelter’s current spot.
On one side you have Warren County’s largest convenience center, and as most of us know “convenience center’ is a glorified term for “dump.” You have the smell of garbage, the beauty of old washing machines, and the comfort of knowing used oil is being stored just yards away.
On another side you have a cattle barn, which actually has the potential of making the dump smell good in comparison. If the manure won’t get you, perhaps the sound of hundreds of cows mooing will do the trick.
If that’s not bad enough, you have two more neighbors. The highway department is on another side, which means there’s always the fear of getting run over by heavy equipment. And then there are the softball fields, which means you just might get smacked in the head by a long fly ball. If a fly ball doesn’t get you, then you have all-night softball tournaments to enjoy.
To put it as plainly as possible, the animal shelter might just sit on the most worthless piece of property in the whole county. And in case you’re wondering, I’m not the Humane Society’s real estate agent.
If that property sells, and I assume it eventually will, what could go there? The only logical answer would be for the county to buy the land to expand either the highway department or the dump.
The problem I see with that transaction is I doubt the county would be willing to pay money for its own property. If you recall, the county owned that land before deeding it over to the Humane Society. To pay money for property they gave away is likely something county officials won’t be eager to do.
And considering the warmth that exists between the Humane Society and county government, I have a feeling the Humane Society won’t be willing to hand over the property for free. I think that will happen after the two groups start exchanging Christmas cards, which will be never.
So what’s in store for the animal shelter property? The best I can do to provide an answer is make a pun and say that’s one piece of land which has gone to the dogs.
James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].