The mayors of Baker, Central and Zachary—in a show of unified opposition—joined Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome this morning to argue against BREC’s proposed relocation of the Baton Rouge Zoo from its longtime north Baton Rouge home in Greenwood Park to the Fairgrounds on Airline Highway near the Ascension Parish line.
At a press briefing and bus tour of the sprawling, 600-acre Greenwood Park, Broome reiterated her concerns about the negative economic impact moving the zoo would have on north Baton Rouge, as well as the problems it would cause for the already congested southeast corner of the parish.
“I love the people of Ascension Parish,” Broome says. “But for the taxpaying citizens of East Baton Rouge Parish, it is my belief that we should invest their money in projects that benefit East Baton Rouge Parish.”
The BREC Board of Commissioners is expected to vote Thursday night on Superintendent Carolyn McKnight’s hotly debated $100 million proposal to relocate the zoo and overhaul its current location into a community park with amenities and attractions.
BREC commissioners have remained tight-lipped about their views on the controversial move, and most have stopped returning media calls seeking comment. But intense lobbying is going on behind the scenes, and Broome said she is among those making the calls—and will continue to do so until Thursday’s meeting.
“We are all being lobbyists right now,” she says.
Community activist Becky Bond, who has been leading the opposition to the zoo move, narrated today’s bus tour, highlighting the many natural attractions at Greenwood Park that have been underutilized and unappreciated by BREC. Joining the group were Broome’s mayoral counterparts from Baker, Central and Zachary, who weighed in on why they, too, oppose moving the zoo.
While stopping to pose for photos outside the zoo entrance, Zachary Mayor David Amrhein said BREC has intentionally let the zoo fall into disrepair while unfairly blaming the surrounding communities for failing to support it.
“They keep saying people won’t come here,” he said. “Well, they’ve made a conscious decision not to invest here. If you don’t put money into anything, you’re not going to get anything out.”
Central Mayor Junior Shelton chided BREC commissioners for not taking the tour or, in fact, showing up at any of the recent community meetings to discuss the issue.
“The people who need to be seeing this aren’t here,” he said.
In advance of Thursday’s vote, BREC today issued a lengthy statement laying out its argument for why moving the zoo would be less costly than renovating it at its existing location. BREC also cited information from prior studies suggesting donors and visitors would be more likely to support a zoo located in a more economically viable part of the parish.
The BREC meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at Baton Rouge Recreation and Parks Administrative Offices, 6201 Florida Blvd., off North Ardenwood.
