The Pennsylvanian Erie Zoo has bought a house with land as part of its master plan.
The Erie Zoological Society has purchased a property at 3505 Chapin St. in Erie for the sum of $523,500. According to records, the building was constructed in 1957. It sits on a plot that extends to just over 1.7 acres.
Scott Mitchell, Executive Director of the Zoo says that the property will eventually be used to expand the zoo.
“It was just one of those opportunities that we could not pass up,” says Mitchell. “This was our chance to get it and it’s really the only property that’s nearby that we could possibly use to expand.”
The zoo creates a master plan roughly every ten years. Information is gathered via interviews with volunteers, staff members, zookeepers and visitors to create the plan. Mitchell explains that Erie Zoo is meeting with consultants to finalize details at present. The master plan will be ready to present to the zoo’s board in the next month.
Any additions or renovations would have to be subject to funding. The majority of projects are funded through a combination of private funding, state grants and the zoo’s general fund.
At present the Chapin Street property houses an architectural firm, Roth Marz Partnership. The architects will pay rent to the zoo to stay in the building.
“We’re not sure when we’ll move on it, but they’ll lease it from us for a period of time,” says Mitchell. “In the longer term, it’ll fit into our master plan and we’re working on determining how.”
Eerie Zoo was formerly known as Erie Zoological Park and Botanical Garden of North-western Pennsylvania. It’s located in Erie, Pennsylvania on 15 acres of land in Glenwood Park. The zoo has more than 400 animals, while the botanical gardens boast plants from around the world. The combined attractions have more than 400,000 visitors per year.
Image courtesy of Erie Zoo.
https://www.goerie.com/news/20170803/erie-zoo-buys-property-for-eventual-expansion
