This year’s budget doesn’t contain a last-minute rescue for the Chippewa Park Wildlife Exhibit.
City council shut down another attempt to improve the attraction. The latest motion called for just under $62,000 to keep it running until Labour Day.
Councillor Frank Pullia says it would have had a better chance if the Friends of Chippewa Park had made another presentation, adding the zoo’s problems go beyond its high operating costs.
He says the exhibit needs to be upgraded, but council wasn’t willing to invest what Pullia estimates would be $1 million in to its upkeep.
Pullia says he thinks the exhibit deserved a second chance.
It seems that’s a feeling shared by some in the community. Councillor Iain Angus says 1,223 people signed an online petition saying they want the zoo to stay open, while 420 signed a paper petition at the park over the long weekend.
Budget night at #tbcc: Coun. Iain Angus once again calling for city to support Chippewa zoo. $61.8K request was voted down, zoo will close. pic.twitter.com/EW5f2feYkh
— @country105news (@Country105News) February 22, 2017
He suggests the city could take $44,000 that’s already in the budget for upgrades to the RV Park at Chippewa. City Administration says delaying work on the roads into the RV Park will only make the eventual maintenance more expensive.
Meanwhile, Councillor Rebecca Johnson says keeping the exhibit open would only be postponing the inevitable.
She says the city will eventually close the zoo, and believes it’s fairer to the community to simply shut down the attraction now. Johnson adds the city should focus on relocating the animals going into the summer, rather than in the fall as suggested on Tuesday.
