Clinton, Westbrook, and Killingworth are one step closer to having a tri-town dog pound. The reallocation of the approved $100,000 grant was placed in the State Bond Commission's hands on March 30. The grant will be directed by the state Department of Economic Community Development.

"It's good news," said Clinton First Selectman William "Willie" Fritz.

The original grant was approved in spring of 2011, with plans to build a new shelter for the towns at the Westbrook Town Garage site on Route 145. The cost was anticipated at about $250,000 and, after further analysis, the towns determined the fiscally responsible thing to do would be to upgrade and expand Clinton's current animal pound and share that with the other communities.

"It would have been very difficult for me to do because in my town we have a dog shelter, which is basically the same size of the proposed one in Westbrook," Fritz said. "It needs some TLC, but I thought to myself, 'How can I go to my residents and say I need another $80,000 when I have one that works?'"

Once approved, all three towns will meet in the coming weeks to discuss plans for renovating Clinton's pound. Fritz said the first priority would be to meet with the town's architect and go over the conceptual plans and the budget for the pound. The town heads would go over the final plans and then put them out to bid to get the construction process on its way.

A huge advantage of sharing the dog pound is that the towns will be splitting operating costs.

State Representative Jim Crawford, who represents the three towns, also said in a press release that the towns will be saving a significant amount of money through this grant.

"By splitting the operating costs, this joint venture between Westbrook, Clinton, and Killingworth will save each town money," Crawford said. "Better care for our animal population will come from this cost-effective and innovative approach to sharing services. Exploring opportunities to improve efficiency, save money, and promote municipal cooperation ultimately benefits area taxpayers."