LA MARQUE — United Board of Health members approved four options to improve the county’s animal shelter and agreed to send the recommendations to county commissioners.

Ronnie Schultz, director of environmental health programs for the county’s health district, presented the options to the board at its Wednesday evening meeting.

The list of issues plaguing the shelter, which was built to house half the animals it takes in annually, is lengthy.

Schultz’s presentation included overcrowding, disease transmission, the aging shelter’s design and structural and plumbing limitations.

“We had an illness outbreak that resulted in the premature euthanasia of about 56 animals,” Schultz said.

“The shelter design lends itself to outbreaks, but even if we have a new, state-of-the-art shelter, we could still face outbreaks but hopefully reduce the likelihood,” he said.

Seven quarantine kennels aren’t enough to separate animals thought to have rabies, police holds or aggressive dogs from the others. The shelter has only 38 dog kennels.

The lobby is undersized and crowded, Schultz said, noting the shelter can’t segregate incoming animals from those being adopted.

The first two options entailed remodeling the facility to save money.

The first option would move adoptions to a different building.

The second option would keep adoptions at the shelter, 3412 Loop 197 N., in Texas City, and construct other buildings to house dogs on adjacent property.

The final two options entail constructing buildings elsewhere, either on or off county-owned property.

Joe Vickery, for whom the shelter is named, suggested keeping animals in the same location, preferably in Texas City, saying that’s where the majority of the animals come from.

“I have nothing against a new shelter if we get enough funds, but the best thing you can do is to avoid putting the shelter in different areas,” Vickery said.

“That would be a transportation nightmare, running animals all over the county. Having the animals in one area is much easier for the public,” Vickery said.

W. Jay Holland III, the health district’s chief operating officer, said county commissioners are contemplating a November bond issue, which could fund improvements at the shelter.

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