Once used to offer free dental care to local children, the old Molar Roller is set to be retrofitted as a medical room for the animal shelter.
The Consolidated Human Services Agency, formed in 2026 to combine public health and animal services into a single agency, held its second board meeting Feb. 24 and outlined a plan to repurpose the old bus as an external medical building for the animals.
CHSA director Kim Dills said the shelter was originally built simply as a canine holding facility for the Macon County Sheriff’s Office. Due to that, the current center lacks space for the veterinarian to bandage injuries, take samples and administer vaccines. To solve this problem the old Molar Roller, which was replaced in 2025 with a new version, is to be converted into a clinic space.
“The old roller was getting ready to be surplussed, but with the county’s permission I have been able to get the new role of the old roller and have it converted into a new veterinary clinic to have on-site.” Dills said. “It’s already set up as a clinic so it’s very minor changes for us to be able to utilize it as a sterile clinic space.”
Dills said the primary goal of the clinic now would be to take care of animal shelter needs, but eventually could be expanded to providing services for the public if it is feasible to do so.
Animal Services worked out an agreement with Macon County Transit to use one of its decommissioned vans to make trips to Asheville to conduct low-cost spays and neuters.
The shelter will also have two covered areas outside to serve both as storage and as spaces where animals can be kept outside in inclement weather when their kennels are being cleaned.
The next CHSA meeting will be Tuesday, March 24, at 6:15 p.m. in the meeting room at the Human Services building on Lakeside Drive.