The Emporia City Commission agreed to move up to $40,000 of parks money into a fund for zoo improvements Wednesday.
The improvements were recommended during the zoo’s last accreditation review by the Aquarium and Zoo Association, Director Steve Trebilcock told commissioners. Reviewers asked for:
F The installation of fences in the bison display, for safety areas.
F Cages in the zoo’s education center to separate educational animals from the rest of the collection.
F Barn cages for winter storage.
F A small veterinary building on the north side of the entry road into the zoo area, so that veterinarians can work on animals away from the other exhibits.
F Reconstruction work in the main park barn.
The city’s contribution is not to exceed $40,000, which would be in addition to a $10,640 donation from the Emporia Friends of the Zoo for a maximum total of $50,640.
“We don’t think it’s going to be that high,” Assistant City Manager Mark McAnarney told commissioners.
“This is not going to be a Taj Mahal state-of-the-art veterinary building,” Trebilcock agreed as he went through the list of improvements. “This is a metal building on a concrete slab.”
The city’s contribution is from the special park fund. None of it is from the proceeds of the Lake Kahola sale, which has been earmarked specifically for park improvements.
The zoo work is scheduled to be done by June 30.
In other action, the commission:
F Gave permission for Carl Didde to have a loading and unloading area in front of his business at 205 E. Sixth Ave. Didde is an inventor who developed a new book-binding process two years ago called Speed-Bind. The loading area replaces two parking spaces.
F Voted to spend $6,859 from the drug forfeiture fund, to be used for weapons training equipment and computer equipment. The cost of the weapons training equipment is being shared with the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department.
F Accepted updates to the solid waste management plan, including the state’s goals to reduce the amount of trash going to landfills by one percent a year. Keith Senn, the city’s solid waste supervisor, says that Emporians currently generate 4.3 pounds of trash per person per day, which comes to about three-quarters of a ton per person per year.
F Voted to close parking in the 10 and 100 blocks of Commercial Street for the monthly “Cruise Night” car show this summer. Parking will be closed in that area from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month from May through September. The show is sponsored by Bad Ol’ Berns.
F Presented a Certificate of Achievement of Excellence in Financial Reporting to the city’s accounting staff. This is the 21st consecutive year that Emporia as gotten the certificate from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. The certificate is for the city’s 2005 financial report.
F Proclaimed April “The Month of the Young Child” and “Fair Housing Month.”