Through the years, Putnam County's Animal Relief Center has come under plenty of criticism, some justified, some not justified, for being a cramped, run-down facility that is poorly designed, poorly funded, and a poor place for animals to stay, making the "relief" part of the name a sad, ironic joke.

Here at PutnamLIVE.com we have resisted the urge to take cheap shots at the hard-working staff and volunteers who struggle every day to operate a terrible facility. Instead, we have supported efforts to help people find pets through free links on the left side of each of our pages, and publicizing fund-raising efforts.

Recently. two of Putnam County's finest citizens, Jeff Barnes, and Karen Haynes, have dedicated countless hours, leading efforts to raise money to build a new, state-of-the-art animal shelter in Eleanor.

Recently, Barnes and Haynes hosted The Fur Ball, a gala event that raised $35,000 in cashy, plus another $30,000 in equipment towards a $500,000 goal to build the new shelter. This is in addition to thousands raised last year when Barnes kicked off fund-raising efforts for the new shelter. (Animal Shelter Fundraiser Starts)

Despite their stellar efforts, Barnes and Haynes remain about $400,000 short in their mission. A mission they have taken up while the Putnam County Commission has failed for decades to construct and properly fund our Animal Relief Center.

The politically conservative majority on the Putnam County Commission (Stephen H. "Steve" Andes and Raymond "Joe" Haynes) fail to see the Animal Relief Center as a priority, and despite embarrassing television news reports about our shoddy shelter, have, like their predecessors,  failed to take proper action to fund a realistic operating budget and a new facility.

Instead, Andes and Haynes, are expecting the private sector, led by Jeff Barnes and Karen Haynes, (who is married to Raymond "Joe" Haynes) to raise the money that the Putnam County Commission should have provided years ago.

Commissioners Andes and Haynes should be ashamed of themselves, however, that has never stopped them in the past. While they bury their heads in the kitty litter, animals suffer in our deteriorating Animal Relief Center.

It shouldn't be that way.

Andes and Haynes believe in small government-to the extreme. Our Animal Relief Center isn't the only under-funded facility. Our EMS building is a glorified metal shack. Andes and Haynes killed the Kiddie Pool project with their dirty politics. Our libraries are under-funded and too small, our employees are under-paid, our Museum in the Community is behind on its mortgage, and our Parks and Recreation facilities are a fraction of what they should be. Finally, we don't have a 4-H Camp, sending our great kids, and their calves, sheep, and, yes, kids, to camp in Kanawha County.

The private sector has stepped up while the Putnam County Commission has faltered. The thousands raised for a new Animal Relief Center is a great down payment.

Now it's time for Putnam County Commissioners Andes, Haynes, and Gary O. Tillis to step up and pull money from reserve funds to build the new Animal Relief Center this spring.

But that isn't enough.

They need to establish a five-year plan to build the kiddie pool by this summer, construct a new EMS building, give our employees raises, pay off the museum building, properly fund and expand our libraries, build a 4-H Camp, and start new county parks with pools and walking trails in Poca, Buffalo, Pliny, and Scott Depot, so that everyone in Putnam County can get out and excercise.

We owe it to our animals, and our people.