DANVILLE — The Vermilion County Animal Shelter and Control facility has options after receiving a $2.5 million grant in April.
“We have just about exhausted the current facility, and I think all of us recognize that that needs to be put in the rearview mirror,” County Board Chairman Steve Miller said during Tuesday’s meeting. “In a perfect world, we would build a brand-new facility.”
Miller said they are looking into all options with the feasibly plan.
“This is the beginning of getting some professional assistance in that effort,” Miller added.
Ryan Goodner, Director of the Vermilion County Animal Shelter, says they are looking into all the possible options — whether it be a brand new facility or renovations and upgrades to the current facility.
“This point now that we’re at, this is basically a feasibility study to look into what potentially could be done with that, whether it be a new facility, what that would cost, and then also what it would cost to renovate our existing facility,”
Goodner said if they renovated the existing building there would be numerous upgrades, especially to the HVAC system and kennels.
“[We’re] basically just looking at all options and then laying those plans on the table to take those on the county board and let them have a little bit more information on what two and a half million dollars or what potentially a new facility would cost.”
Goodner added if the shelter does build a new facility, the current one would likely become a parking lot after finding the shelter owned additional nearby land to the current facility.
“One of the things that I came across several months ago was some of the property around us we thought was already in our control, and that we owned it,” Goodner said. “There was some discrepancies in title work and some deed work that was all corrected. And with that process, it secured the land around us to make it a possible option to build behind our facility.”
The grant was announced in April from the Julius Hegeler II Foundation.
At that time, board member Jerry Hawker talked about the changes the shelter has gone through since the 1980s.
“About 1984, we had our first addition built out where the shelter is, and in the early 2000s we had the second addition,” Hawker said. “And it’s time for another, but I cannot say how proud I am of the staff, the animal regulation, [and] how much improvement in the last 18 months that [has] happened there.”
Goodner added there is one major needed to ‘modernize’ the facility.
“[We’d] basically be trying to stay about the same number of kennels and cat spaces,” Goodner said about discussed plans. “Kennels for dogs would stay the same, and cat spaces would stay the same. It just would — everything would be more modernized, newer equipment. All the dog areas would be cleaned faster and easier with new materials, just things like that.”
Just this year, Goodner took over as the director of the shelter.
Goodner was a deputy with the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department for 21 years, retiring in 2025. He also served on the Vermilion County Board, representing District 1.
As far as the future plans, whether it be for renovation or a new build Goodner says the staff is looking forward to the changes.
“We’re excited about it and excited to take this next step,” Goodner added. “All the staff, everyone is excited about it.”
For more information about the shelter, to request checks on animals’ welfare, or to make donations, go to the website at www.vercounty.org/animal-shelter or call 217-431-2660.
Goodner said there will be more discussion later this fall after the feasibility study is completed and the shelter and board members have an idea of the costs associated with either a renovation to the facility or a brand new facility.