MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Moultrie-Colquitt County Humane Society is well underway with updates to the interior and exterior of their building. 

Back in October, both the Moultrie City Council and the Colquitt County Board of Commissioners approved the funding of $45,000 each to the Humane Society to help fund these upgrades and repairs. Along with this money, MCCHS was also able to secure a $30,000 grant from the Atlanta Humane Society, according to MCCHS Director Drew Durham.

“We also brought in $12,000 from our own budget and fundraising,” Durham said in an interview Thursday. “We have a few things that are already underway.”

The shelter has already begun putting in new fencing around their kennels and throughout their property. Rotted wood around the roof area is being replaced. Further improvements in the roof are planned further down the line as well as painting of the floors, offices and kennels, according to Durham. 

“There were a few things that were already being discussed when I got brought on. Our board had been wanting to do a lot of this stuff and it’s been in motion for awhile. We wanted the shelter to be a much more welcoming place for people to come. We looked at other shelters around to see what they were doing as well as looking at larger shelters to see how we could work like them,” Durham said in an interview Thursday.

The shelter has already completed painting its offices and is currently working on painting 10 of its canine kennels but the process, Durham admits, is a slow one.

“It takes time,” he said. “We have to be able to care for the animals and have a place to house them while it’s all going on.”

New awnings are going to be purchased as well as possible drainage work. The Humane Society has been in contact with the University of Georgia Archway Partnership for both engineering and beautification improvements to the building.

“We had one of their interior designers come in and take a look around, then she went out to look at other shelters and gave a really well detailed report on how we could make our offices just as inviting as others she’d seen… The engineering side were still in talks with. They are going to be continuing their project throughout the spring semester,” Durham said.

Durham said it’s the support of the community that has allowed these projects to take place.

“We just want to say thank you to the city and the county. They have always been big advocates for us. We couldn’t do anything like this without the support of them and the community.”