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County commissioners approve $1 million deal

Posted 4/24/25

GREEN COVE SPRINGS — The Board of County Commissioners approved a $1 million agreement with Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) for the new Clay County Animal Service Shelter and Care Facility on …

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County commissioners approve $1 million deal


Posted

GREEN COVE SPRINGS — The Board of County Commissioners approved a $1 million agreement with Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) for the new Clay County Animal Service Shelter and Care Facility on Tuesday.

The cooperative 10-year deal promises the financial contribution from the university in exchange for access to the facility, set to be built on Sleepy Hollow Road in Middleburg.

In October 2024, the county approved a $21.5 million bid for the construction of the shelter. 

The one-story facility will include kennels, offices, a classroom/multipurpose room, clinic and medical space.

Lincoln Memorial will open its College of Veterinary Medicine at Orange Park — one of only 35 in the U.S. — on Wells Road in the coming years. 

The partnership will allow the school’s veterinarian students to use the shelter for educational purposes and surgical spaces. 

District 4 Commissioner Betsy Condon said that the partnership also includes a deal with online pet supply store Chewy.

“I just think it’s a great partnership, and we appreciate it so much,” she said. 

Commissioners noted that during the sixth year of the deal, any exceeding facility costs are able to be recovered up to approximately $25,000.