By Adam Studzinski
BLOOMINGTON – The Miller Park Zoo officially broke ground Monday on its new flamingo exhibit.
It’s the first new exhibit the zoo is building since 2004. Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Director Jay Tetzloff said it’s an important project because it shows progress at the zoo.
“It’ll show diversity. We don’t have flamingos now. We’ve never had anything like a flamingo,” said Tetzloff. “If you want to talk money, more people should come. We should see a 5 percent jump in attendance.”
The exhibit will hold 17 flamingos at first, but Tetzloff said there will be room to add more.
“I’m a firm believer that success will breed success. Showing that first step, high quality, high impact, high profile animal right off the bat – we’re hoping we’ll get much more engagement from the community as a whole, but also from our donors,” he said.
The exhibit will be one of the first things visitors see at the zoo. The total cost of the project is $300,000. $100,000 is coming from the Miller Park Zoological Society. $50,000 is being donated from the Ewing Zoo Foundation. The remaining $150,000 will come from the City of Bloomington.
Mayor Tari Renner said this project is important for economic development.
“Bloomington is much more than bricks and mortar,” said Renner. “Bloomington, our core, our soul, is about quality of life and about amenities, about the types of things that make our lives really rich here in our community.”
The exhibit is expected to open to the public in March or April 2016.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].
