Richmond County won’t renew animal shelter contract with K2

ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Animal Shelter will no longer be run by K2 Solutions by the end of the fiscal year.

A joint statement from the county dated March 20 states that the two parties “have mutually agreed to complete the current contract” for management of the shelter “without renewal.” The contract ends June 30.

The decision, not made during a public meeting, comes after two “disapproved” inspections by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Animal Welfare Section.

During the March meeting of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners, Kristi Newton Maines spoke on behalf of around 50 animal advocates in the room criticizing K2’s management over the past three years, highlighting the recent inspections and calling for a change.

Maines spoke during the public comment section of the meeting, which has traditionally been before commissioners discuss county business, but was moved until the end.

K2 CEO Lane Kjellsen and several other representatives from the company were also at the meeting, but nothing was heard from that side.

Following Maines’ comments, commissioners went into a closed session, citing the clause of the open meetings law related to contract negotiations. However, no action was taken when board members returned and the meeting was adjourned.

The county ran the shelter for several years before giving K2 a three-year contract in 2021.

Since that time, according to the statement, K2 has “been responsible for the intake of well over 5,000 animals, the vast majority of which were returned to their owners, adopted directly to our community, or transferred to adoption agencies nationwide,” doubling intake numbers.

The county says, with its support, K2 has made several improvements to the shelter including new sinks and plumbing, new paint and signs, landscaping, cleaning of the HVAC system, updates to the phone and IT systems, and the removal of 3,000 pounds of trash and debris.

“ The County Commissioners would like to thank K2 for their dedication to our Shelter, the animals, and the community,” the statement reads. “While the Commissioners acknowledge that K2 made mistakes, including multiple failed and passed inspections, the Commissioners believe K2 has continually endeavored to learn, correct, and improve.”

The statement also mentions that the shelter passed an inspection on March 19, “having corrected all deficiencies from previous inspections.” That report was not publicly available at the time of this writing.

“K2 would like to express its sincere gratitude to all their wonderful employees and to our county’s residents who have provided so much support over the last few years,” the statement concludes. “K2 is one of the largest private employers in the County and will continue to call Jackson Springs home.”

The county is expected to find a new vendor through the bid process, with K2 providing oversight and helping during the transition.