Parks Board Drops Plans for $10 Million Giraffe Barn But Parks Board Still Approve $24 Million Bond

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Parks Board Drops Plans for Giraffe Barn But Parks Board Still Approve $24 Million Bond

by Johnny Kincaid

OCTOBER 3, 2024

Some members of the Board of Park Commissioners felt pressured to make a quick decision to support a bond that would borrow $24 million for park projects. The list of projects to be funded by the bond was a giraffe barn for Mesker Park Zoo with a price tag of $10 million.

When the bond measure was presented two weeks ago, board President Michelle Peterlin expressed concerns, saying, “We’re in a recession; now is not the time to build a $10 million giraffe barn.” When the board took no action on the resolution, Peterlin and Mayor Stephanie Terry met to work out a resolution.

Moments into yesterday’s board meeting, it was announced that the giraffe barn would be removed from the list of projects to be funded. However, removing the $10 million project will not reduce the bond amount; the total debt will remain at $24 million. Additional projects will not be added to the list, so the $10 million will be divided among the projects on the list. (A full list of projects is at the end of this article.)

In discussing the giraffe barn, Peterlin asked Mesker Park Zoo Director Eric Beck about the zoo’s net revenue. “That would be a negative number,” Beck replied. After pressing for more details, Beck estimated that the zoo loses about three million dollars annually.

Peterlin responded by saying, “You want us to take something that loses three million dollars a year and add another ten million to that. I just can’t do that.”

Sara Dauer, Corporate Counsel for the City of Evansville, told the board that the city has been discussing the need for the giraffe barn and was planning to write it into the 2026 budget, and the project would cost much more than the $10 million in the bond.

Administration officials made it clear that removing the giraffe project from the bond does not remove the need and that it could come up again in future bonding as soon as next year.

Ultimately, the board voted 4-1 to remove the giraffe barn and move forward with the bond process. This does not mean that they approved borrowing $24 million, it means that they are allowing the process to move forward.

The next steps include further discussion at the October 16 Board of Park Commissioners meeting, with time allocated to public comment and on October 30 with further comment with a vote to approve the bond at the board meeting. The sessions are held at noon in the Civic Center, room 305.

Here is the list of projects to be funded from the bond. Note that the allocated dollars have not been adjusted after the $10 million giraffe barn was removed.

Garvin Park – New playground equipment, and safety surfacing. This Project will replace the dated and unsafe equipment that needs replacement. $1,500,000.

Aquatics Facility Improvements – Improvements to city pools. $1,000,000.

Centerpoint Square –Completion of the 4th and Main site urban park. $2,000,000.

Golf Course Irrigation/Improvements – Replacement of the obsolete irrigation systems at Fendrich and Helfrich golf courses, as well as additional needed course improvements. $4,000,000.

CK Newsome Center Renovations – Renovation of the Community Center. $1,000,000.

Swonder HVAC Systems –Replacement of the rooftop units. $1,500,000.

Wessleman Playground Restrooms – Replace the existing restrooms near the former par 3 property with restrooms at the new accessible playground site. $850,000.

Mesker Park Veterinary Hospital – Renovation at Mesker Park Veterinary Hospital. $500,000.

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5 COMMENTS

  2. Do the city golf courses make money? Does the Swonder Ice Skating rink make money?

  3. The Zoo should have its own separate budget. The zoo budget should not fall under the parks Dept. Maybe time to privatize the zoo

  4. The Bond should be reduced by $10 million if the giraffe barn is withdrawn. The Park Commissioners and City have said they will likely address financing the giraffe barn next year. That$10 million can be used then. As much as the Board mentioned inflation and taxpayers they did not propose reducing the bond amount. Seems they feel they MUS spent it. This is a bait and switch move and should be challenged by the City Council

  5. Lets spend $10 million on a giraffe garage for a zoo that loses $3 million per year. Does anyone in charge understand basic math?

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