Should we Move the BR Zoo, or Keep it where it is?

Sigh

Should definitely get it away from LSU

I think it needs to be moved but moving it somewhere that floods is not wise. Plus the cost of either option is a lot of money. Keeping it in Baker but making it nicer does not guarantee people will support it. Moving it closer to people that would support it will be expensive and would need to be somewhere that is not at risk from natural disasters and does not cost a lot to acquire the land.

I am thinking of moving but I will not consider a place that flooded as a possibility because that would be unwise. The Zoo leaders should be of the same mindset.

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I do question how it would cost the same to build a new zoo vs a renovation to the current one.

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Extensive renovation and demo adds a premium to the construction costs. From what I understand the vast majority of the existing zoo needs to be rebuilt. And I believe they estimate the new zoo will be a little more expensive to build, but it will also have increased revenue.

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Really beating a dead elephant with this thread.

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Mayors gave their speeches today as well as others who voiced opposition to the move, so it’s timely, and worthy of discussion for those interested in the future of this city.

They are going to raise the elevation of the property and add storage space for stormwater to the site.

If we abandon all of the property that flooded in 2016 we'll be declaring large parts of the area unsuitable. I'm willing to count that as a statistical outlier. Many areas flooded that have never flooded before.

They need to figure out what they want long-term to begin with.


In theory I would say “move” because the current zoo has little room to expand and is in an area which is a pain to get to for most of the greater BR area population.

The current zoo is roughly in Baker with surrounding communities of Central, Zachary, Scotlandville, etc. It’s out of the way from interstate traffic because it is off 110 instead of 10 or 12 and is on the opposite side of town from the population centers of the area in unincorporated eastern EBR plus Livingston and Ascension.


The “stay” side needs to be able to sell a reason to stay besides “keep the jobs in Baker / North BR” because the costs to renovate the current zoo are about as high as a move and I don’t see where a renovated zoo in the current location brings in nearly as much traffic as a new zoo in a better part of town.

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Building a new zoo and moving all of the animals to said new zoo, sounds REALLY inexpensive 

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Supposedly it's going to cost the same as renovating the current one

brec