Paul Teague

The Caldwell County Board of Health approved modifications to the hours of operation and fees for Caldwell County Animal Control during its meeting Thursday night at the City-County Chambers in Lenoir.

Animal Control Director Greg Greene, who was formally introduced to the board since being promoted to the position in September, requested a change to the department's public operating hours. He proposed opening the shelter at 10 a.m. and closing 5 p.m. through the week, while having hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month, beginning with Oct. 10. The department previously had been staying open an extra hour on Tuesdays.

Greene said the Saturday hours would only be for adoption of animals and for rabies vaccinations, stressing stray animals will not be accepted. He added that having one Saturday a month geared toward adoption would provide residents greater access to the department than they currently have during weekdays.

"We want to try to see if this works," Greene said.

Also, the board approved assessing a $15 fee for providing euthansia services to non-sheltered animals. He said the department had not been charging for euthanasia, and the fee would cover the cost of the injection. Earlier this summer, Caldwell County Animal Control halted euthanizing animals by carbon monoxide gas, moving instead to lethal injection.

In addition, the department received approval to assess a $25 transportation fee to cover the cost of moving an adopted animal other than a cat or dog from the shelter or other facility. The fee would be in addition to the actual cost incurred while the adopted animal was housed at the shelter or other facility.

Meanwhile, Caldwell County Environmental Health Supervisor Ray Rhinehart reviewed first quarter food and lodging inspection data. Rhinehart said out of 106 inspections that were due, 88 were completed.

"Our goal is 100 percent," he said. "That's what the citizens of Caldwell County should expect."

According to Rhinehart, there are 277 food and lodging sites that require inspections and also include public swimming pools and tattoo parlors. All of the present food service sites require at least two inspections per year, he said, with several establishments and institutions mandated to be inspected four times annually.

Rhinehart said staffing has prevented the department, which also inspects and certifies septic systems and wells, from reaching the 100 percent target. Earlier this year, the department lost two of its six employees to budget cuts, and a current employee will be retiring at the end of the year.

Rhinehart cited a manpower study conducted in May by a North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources regional manager that revealed the county should have two additional food and lodging inspectors, according to state guidelines.

In other business, the board:

* Received a report from Caldwell County Health Director Denise Michaud concerning state budget cuts that will impact reimbursement rates for dental services at the clinic, along with proposed cutbacks in case management services.

* Received a financial report that shows the department operating on target to budget projections through the first two months of the 2009-10 fiscal year.

* Heard a report from Caldwell County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Mark Picton on the free prostate screening event held last month. Picton said 272 men were screened, an increase of more than 100 from last year, and the total was the highest ever for the event.