Robbinsville – For the second straight month, Valley River Humane Society President Don Reynolds visited a Graham County Board of Commissioners meeting.
Reynolds’ Sept. 17 address to the panel strongly mirrored his appearance in August, where he attempted to draw an explanation on a 61 percent cut in funding for the Marble-based shelter, which serves Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties.
Reynolds recounted at the August meeting that intakes from Graham County made up 16 of the monthly percentage, with Clay accounting for 11 and Cherokee making up the largest amount: 72. A recent mandate from the state to improve numerous aspects of the facility – including the construction of a new fence around the perimeter of the shelter, to the tune of $52,850 – has the humane society attempting to secure any help with funding it can find.
Reynolds questioned the board about the yearly drop from $50,000 to $20,000, but received no explanation about the decision.
In addition to his estimate that $153,000 was needed to care for Graham County’s annual intake alone, Reynolds speculated that the Valley River Humane Society’s $1.2 million budget was 75 percent funded by donations.
‘Sidewalk to Nowhere’
Stecoah resident Anita Holder brought her concerns about a planned sidewalk in the community to the board.
As part of the final segment of the Corridor K improvement plan in Graham County, a pedestrian sidewalk has been penciled in to “Section CD” – which will run from Stecoah Road to the beginning of the four-lane highway at Red Barn Hollow General Store & Cafe – and will run parallel to the southbound lane of N.C. 28 from Stecoah Road to Hyde Town Road.
Calling the addition a “Sidewalk to Nowhere,” Holder questioned the necessity of the sidewalk and even mentioned a petition from the community that was seemingly ignored by the N.C. Department of Transportation when developing the final plans. Commissioner Lynn Cody told Holder that he personally requested the sidewalk be added to the project, as multiple individuals walk along the narrow shoulder of the roadway.
No resolution was reached during the debate, though Section CD has yet to break ground.