Veterinarian practice approved by Mars Hill board

MARS HILL - The Madison County Board of Adjustment's met for the first time this year May 22, and the board approved a Mars Hill veterinarian clinic, to be located in a Residential/Agricultural district in Mars Hill.

Larry Leake interviewed the applicant in the quasi-judicial process, Dr. Margaret Pressley, and the board approved a special use permit to Pressley.

According to Development Services Director Brad Guth, the property sits on 70 acres at 895 Gabriels Creek Road along John Allen Road in Mars Hill.

Pressley is a Madison High graduate and earned her undergraduate degree from Mars Hill College and her graduate degree from N.C. State University in 1985.

Pressley has operated Fox Run Veterinary Services in Woodfin since 1991, she said.

Pressley said she lives on the back end of the tract and plans to conduct her practice on the Mars Hill tract, as there are multiple dwellings on the property.

"The 70-acre tract is the front part of the farm on the Gabriels Creek Road side. There's another area on the back side of the farm ... and we live on the back side," she said.

While in the past Fox Run has seen a lot of larger animals, including livestock, in its practice, Pressley said the Mars Hill practice will care for smaller animals.

"As I and my staff are getting older and slower and not quite as strong, we're slowing down on the large animal aspect," Pressley said. "We do still go to horse sales to obtain blood."

The building to be used as the veterinarian office was a Mars Hill residence in the past, according to Guth.

Pressley said she has begun the process of converting the residence to a vet facility, adding that the house was recently rewired, had a new septic system installed, and the windows were replaced and walls painted.

According to the veterinarian, the house utilized a cistern water system, and she will need to have a well dug in the near future.

Pressley said she plans to bring the facility up to code per the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board and the county health department's regulations by fall.

Pressley envisions working two and a half days a week, and said she plans to operate business on Mondays, Tuesdays and a half to a full day on Thursdays.

Board members' questions

Board Chair Karen Kiehna asked whether there would be outdoor shelter, and whether any animals would require overnight stays.

"We won't board," Pressley said. "It's not our intention to have overnight stays. We will have a few kennels inside for the surgeries, but we're sizing down on the number of surgeries during the day too. We'll do maybe one surgery or dental a day. So we would need a holding area for the animals for their surgeries.

"I do plan to have a fence around the side and front, just in case. Dogs frequently slip their collars when they're coming from their car to a building, and I don't want them to get out into the road."

In response to Vice Chair Richard Molland's questions about the size of both the office building and the number of employees, Pressley said she anticipates having seven parking spots, with an additional space for overflow parking.

Pressley said there will be three staff members who will work the two-plus days a week, and there will also be a college student who will help out from time to time.

Molland also pointed out the proximity of the proposed clinic to a neighbor's residence. According to Pressley, she spoke with the neighbor, who said they had no problem with the building being repurposed into a vet clinic.

While Pressley said she received approval from County Landfill Director Sammy Lunsford to dispose of organic waste in the county landfills, board member Hart Barnhill reminded Pressley she would need to properly dispose of biohazardous materials as well, including those used in surgeries.

"Surgery is surgery, with drugs, chemical and disease, all that kind of stuff," Barnhill said. "Obviously, that should be put in a different place from where somebody could be digging through a dumpster or something like that and get jabbed or cut by something that's diseased."

Barnhill asked Pressley how she currently handled biohazardous waste at her practice.

"For our surgeries, we dispose of the towels, and the cloth towels we wash. The paper towels that we use to clean up, we just put those in our trash, which goes into the city pickup," Pressley said. "As far as controlled substances that are expired, an agent comes in to dispose of them for us. For non-expired medications, I frequently dissolve them in water. We have a pretty small inventory. With the online pharmacies, we frequently just have people call in prescriptions."

Barnhill also asked whether the narcotics were securely stored, and as "people would target definitely veterinary clinics."

According to Pressley, for the last few years, the state mandates an additional 10 hours per year of continuing education on narcotics. She said the Drug Enforcement Agency would be on site to perform an inspection of the facility to ensure the narcotics are properly stored in a safe.

The state veterinary board will also perform a mandatory inspection of the Mars Hill facility prior to its opening, Pressley said.

In response to board member Robert Briggs' question about the disposal of animal parts, Pressley said she works with a business that cremates the animals.

"It struck me, because since COVID, and animal parts - China, bats, all that stuff - going into the landfill," Briggs said.

Fox Run Veterinary Clinic's current location is 130 Weaverville Road in Woodfin. For more information on the business, call 828-645-2908.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Madison Board of Adjustment approves Mars Hill veterinarian practice