Acquiring 'Blatt site opens new zoo worlds

[Omaha Steve]

I was against this. Now that it is a done deal, I have decided it is ok. I was at the Blatt Friday night for the Creighton game. Still kind of sad.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10337683

Published Sunday May 18, 2008

BY C. DAVID KOTOK
COPYRIGHT 2008 OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

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Baseball players, fans and umps would give way to polar bears, seals and walruses as part of a planned $100 million expansion of the Henry Doorly Zoo.

The Omaha Zoo Foundation board has signed off on an agreement with the city to obtain the Rosenblatt Stadium property for the nearly $12 million the city still owes on past stadium improvements. The foundation plans to raze the stadium to replace parking that will be lost to a major new exhibit and to add even more spaces.

Dr. Lee Simmons, the zoo's executive director, said the Rosenblatt property will give the zoo the elbow room to build a blockbuster new attraction. The Arctic Center, featuring animals typical of Alaska, is planned west of the zoo's Desert Dome in what is now the parking area along 10th Street.

The Arctic Center would become a visitor's first stop after entering the zoo and provide another enclosed attraction accessible during the cold months, Simmons told The World-Herald.



But a new home for polar bears, seals, walruses, salmon and sea otters is just the start of what the zoo hopes to add in the next decade.

The most optimistic schedule would have the Arctic exhibit open in 2012. The zoo wouldn't take possession of the Rosenblatt property until the fall of 2010 at the earliest.

Two other new exhibits could be in place by then.

Ground already is being cleared for a $7.5 million Madagascar exhibit near the center of the zoo. That exhibit would allow visitors to walk among lemurs, the big-eyed, bushy-tail primates native to the east African island. Lemurs, which were featured in the 2005 animated movie "Madagascar," can weigh from an ounce up to 15 pounds.

FULL story at link.

[joeglow3]

1. Damn, now I will have to walk even further...

...to get to the elephants. There is so much cool stuff up front that there is hardly EVER anyone at the elephant exhibit when I am there.

I will support all of this IF they can get the ROyals to sign on to the new stadium. That said, if I were the Rpyals, I would try to get Sarpy County to build a $25 million stadium (which is what the Royals want). I can guarantee attendance will be a lot higher and they will get the park they want.