TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

$1 Million Grant Bolsters Zoo's Events Center Plan

ADVERTISEMENT

By LENORA LAKE, Tribune correspondent

Published: December 6, 2007

TAMPA - A $4.5 million, 17,000-square-foot multiuse events facility planned for Lowry Park Zoo got a big bump Wednesday with a $1 million grant.

Safari Lodge, in the zoo's Safari Africa section, will be the largest indoor events facility in the history of the zoo, said Lex Salisbury, zoo president and chief executive officer, during a news conference to announce the Bank of America Charitable Foundation's donation.

The lodge, which will house African artifacts, will serve as a revenue-producing venue through private and corporate rentals. It also will be a site for zoo fundraising events, including Karamu, the zoo's annual black-tie gala, Salisbury said.

The facility will seat 1,000 people for a meeting and 500 for a dinner. It will include a main hall and an annex that overlooks the giraffe and zebra habitat. The interior will look like a courtyard of an African village, and the exterior will represent different parts of South Africa.

On top of the Bank of America grant and existing funding, the zoo at 1101 W. Sligh Ave. needs to raise about $2 million to build the lodge, Salisbury said.

"We'd love to get this done by Super Bowl," he said, referring to the 2009 Super Bowl, which will be played in Tampa.

The zoo, however, typically does not start construction until a project is fully funded, Salisbury said.

Bank of America Chief Financial Officer Joe L. Price said the zoo was chosen for the grant for several reasons, including its growth, sustainability, revenue development programs and commitment to conservation.

Price, who visited the zoo for the first time Wednesday, said he was "extremely impressed."

The lodge is part of the zoo's master plan for the 11-acre Safari Africa, which previously was ball fields and picnic tables, Salisbury said.

The zoo, which has added exhibits and expanded numerous times in recent years, went through a major renovation 20 years ago after it was rated as one of the worst zoos in America. Last year, it had more than 1.1 million visitors.

"It was a wise decision to make it better," Salisbury said. "The zoo would have died if the city hadn't put $9 million into it."

The zoo receives about 6 percent of its funding from government sources, he said.

Prior to the news conference, zoo board members, bank officials and community leaders, including Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, gathered for a breakfast reception and a viewing of animals, including two cheetahs. An African crested porcupine and an East African crowned crane wandered among the guests.

During the news conference, Iorio praised the zoo's leadership and its accomplishments.

"Those were quality cheetahs and porcupines I hung out with," Iorio said. "I wish I could start every day with these wild animals ... instead of the political wildness."

Correspondent Lenora Lake can be reached at (813) 865-4851 or llake@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT