The Democratic mayor urged voters Tuesday to support Proposition 1, a ballot initiative meant to refresh the aging aviary and, supporters hope, restore the national accreditation it lost two years ago because of decades of lagging public investment.
"It would be unconscionable to let the aviary die a slow death," Corroon told reporters, as he stood against a backdrop of scarlet ibises and red-crested cardinals perched outside the park's antiquated Wilson Pavilion.
The aviary bond - which voters will decide in November - would enlarge the bird park's outdoor amphitheater, transform its pavilion into a walk-through rain forest and pay for an new complex to reflect the mangrove swamps of Mexico and coastal regions of Panama.
The measure would cost an average of $2.51 annually, based on a $235,000 home. But before the aviary could access those funds, officials will have to raise $1.5 million through private donations.
jstettler@sltrib.com
