This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Knocked out in round one, Utah's Hogle Zoo will re-enter the ring as early as next spring to fight for an $85 million makeover of its east-side animal park.
The zoo is not changing its strategy, only its timing, for winning funding for the largest renovation in Hogle history.
Zoo officials revealed this week that they will present their plans again to the Salt Lake County Council in early 2008. The pitch would come less than a year after the county's Republican-led council - split along partisan lines - barred the zoo from this November's ballot.
It's not that county leaders disliked Hogle's plans. They simply feared the financial implications of a proposed split of the Jordan School District on taxpayers' wallets.
Zoo officials hope for better odds next year.
"We felt the answer was not a no, but a not now," said campaign coordinator Maura Carabello. "We are going forward as planned and hope to get it on the ballot for 2008."
The zoo's plan remains the same - including an updated animal hospital; a sprawling African savanna with rhinos, giraffes and a pride of lions; and an arctic exhibit featuring an underwater viewing area for polar bears and seals.
The zoo's main vision: fewer cages, more lifelike exhibits.
"We still have the same priorities," Carabello said.
And the project's price tag remains pegged at $85 million - $65 million from property taxes and $20 million from private donations. If voters sign off, the renovation would cost taxpayers $8 to $14 a year on a $250,000 home.
Zoo officials declined to speak about the financial success so far of their private fundraising, dubbing the information "extremely sensitive." But spokeswoman Holly Braithwaite said their efforts haven't slowed since late summer, when Salt Lake County barred the zoo from the 2007 ballot.
Although ultimately unsuccessful in securing the County Council's vote this year, Hogle Zoo found some friends that could help during round two.
The county's Debt Review Committee in July signed off on the zoo's plan as a safe investment. And the Humane Society of Utah, days before the council's vote, embraced the animal-friendly overhaul as ridding the zoo of concrete-and-steel enclosures in favor of more natural ones.
The question is whether council members will view the proposal any differently next year.
Republican Councilman Jeff Allen said he would rethink his no vote, but his reservations about overtaxing residents remain the same. Other financial priorities - maybe jail overcrowding or beefing up the District Attorney's Office - may take precedence.
"It is always about priorities," he said. "We'll have to see where everything falls into place."
Despite her conservative colleague's reluctance, Democratic Councilwoman Jenny Wilson expects the zoo to fare better next year without the politics of a proposed school district split.
She, for one, will support a fall 2008 referendum - as she did this year.
"I'm comfortable moving it forward," she said. "The public is in the position to decide this one."
Braithwaite said Hogle leaders are far from discouraged.
"We are optimistically looking toward '08," she said. "That is definitely on the horizon."
Despite its defeat before the Salt Lake County Council, Utah's Hogle Zoo plans to pitch its renovation proposal again. Here's a look at what the public's tax contribution - an estimated $65 million - would pay for:
Arctic exhibit
* Estimated cost: $19.6 million
* Description: This exhibit includes an underwater viewing area for polar bears and seals, as well as habitats for arctic foxes and bald eagles.
Diversity of Life Center*
* Estimated cost: $23.8 million
* Description: This facility would feature a "living classroom" that would highlight small animals and aquatic life. The zoo would provide year-round access for schools and community groups.
African savanna*
* Estimated cost: $23.8 million
* Description: The savanna would serve as a centerpiece to the zoo and feature giraffes, zebras and African antelopes. It also could include a pride of lions. A miniature train would travel through the exhibit.
Parking structure
* Estimated cost: $14.5 million
* Description: The zoo will erect a two-level parking garage on the north lot to increase capacity.
Conservation Resource Center
* Estimated cost: $3.8 million
* Description: This facility will include conference and office space, opening other areas of the park for more exhibit space.
Animal Health Center
* Estimated cost: $3.7 million
* Description: This animal hospital would provide preventive medicine, nutrition and clinical care for the zoo's creatures. It also would serve as a training ground for visiting veterinary students.
*Zoo will build one of these two projects, but not both.
Source: Hogle Zoo