The appropriation is included as part of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's 2004 bonding bill. The proposal will also relieve the zoo of $9.2 million in bonding debt.
Pawlenty's bonding proposal will provide funding for a new outdoor exhibit known as "Gateway to the North." The project will provide a series of immersion exhibits and interactive learning areas. Brown bears will splash in a trout-filled stream, kids can search for "fossils" in a paleontological dig site and Amur leopards will be seen from inside a rocky den.
The proposal provides debt relief to the zoo for the $9.2 million outstanding on bonding authorized in 1994 for the dolphin exhibit, Discovery Bay. The plan will also help pay for repairs to park facilities, roads, paths and storm water systems. In total, Pawlenty's plan represents a $34.2 million benefit to the Minnesota Zoo.
© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to asset-and-logo-licensing@alm.com. For more inforrmation visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
