Zoo faces financial shortage, council debates
Willow Park Zoo does not have enough funding to sustain itself through the 2013 fiscal year, said Russ Akina, Logan’s Parks and Recreation director.
“If you look at the funding, it was three to four years ago that (the zoo) continued to go spiraling down,” said Mayor Randy Watts at the Logan City Council meeting Monday.
Laura Wolford, a prior member of the Willow Park Zoo Board, said the zoo’s low funding is not a sign of the bad economy, however, Akina said the economy is the main reason behind the zoo’s financial struggle.
“It is related to the economy,” Akina said. “The zoo’s funding comes from two separate grants. One is the Cache County RAPZ Sales Tax program, and sales tax is directly related to how the economy does … and the zoo receives a state grant on an annual basis, and it is related directly to the state and the state’s budget.”
Ten percent of the RAPZ (Restaurants, Arts, Parks and Zoos) Tax goes toward funding the zoo, but when people spend less in Cache County, the amount given to the zoo is also less, Akina said.
The Department of Community and Culture’s division of Housing and Community Development gives the zoo an annual state grant. Akina said in the past eight years he has seen this program’s grant amounts to Cache County drop as much as $35,000.
The rest of the zoo’s funding comes from admission and visitors’ contributions. Zoo visitors pay admission on a loyalty basis in a canister located at the zoo’s entrance.
About 90,000 people visit the Willow Park Zoo each year, said Kim Sullivan of the Willow Park Zoo Board, a number approximated through observation.
Willow Park Zoo Board members, as well as locals and those with fond memories of the zoo, attended the meeting to voice concerns about losing the zoo. Michelle King of Logan stood before the council and said she believes the zoo is valuable to Cache Valley, and she encouraged those listening to give generously to the zoo to keep it afloat.
“If we cannot contribute enough to keep it running, then that means we don’t believe it’s worth the $300,000 to keep it running,” King said.
A few USU courses use the zoo in their academic pursuits, as do local students of all ages. If the zoo is forced to shut down, Akina said this type of hands-on resource would no longer exist nearby.
Susan Johnson of Mantua also stood before the council and said as a child, going to the zoo was one of the few activities available that her family could afford, and Logan needs these types of low-cost recreation options.
“Where do you take grandchildren?” asked Troy Christensen, chair of the Willow Park Zoo Board. “Where do you take your children as an alternative to the technology absorption and isolation that is so prevalent in our community?”
If each zoo visitor paid the entrance fee, maybe the zoo would be doing better than it is, said Katie Steed, a USU junior majoring in graphic design.
“I know a lot of people don’t pay the dollar donation at the front, but I always give at least a dollar,” she said. “I wonder if more people were willing to donate, how much more support the zoo could get. I am very against closing it, mostly for sentimental reasons, but also because I think it’s a big asset to Logan.”
The mayor and council discussed ideas that would save the zoo from closing, and Watts said one possibility would be implementing a countywide zoo tax, similar to the library tax. However, the zoo’s long-term needs may be more than another tax would cover. Akina said downsizing the animal collection could also be part of the solution.
If the zoo does close, the animals will be put under the care of various other keepers and zoos.
“The collection of animals are all protected by the Animal Welfare Act,” Akina said. “We are required to follow state protocol as far as how those are dispersed, and that takes a while.”
Logan hasn’t contributed much to the zoo because of state funding, said County Councilman Val Potter, and he recommended the city spend more so visitors can continue enjoying what it adds to the community.
“The zoo is part of the heritage and history of Cache Valley,” Potter said to the council. “The decision you are making as a council is very far reaching. I don’t want you to take it lightly. I think letting this zoo go without a fight or a solid try would be a mistake.”
– catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu