Jackson Jambalaya

Sorry to say it Kingfish but the zoo is finished.

No Antar, you live in Northeast Jackson inside of a private gated community.

I would add ".....our illustrious mayor, who was only elected by 24,000 votes"

Fools in his foolbox, is more like it.

Zoo attendance has declined because there is no elephant? Mayor Chokwe Antar Talk-a-lot in his element spinning hard.

Did I hear the lady correctly? She said there are people ready to invest millions into the existing zoo and but that the Zoo Board is not taking to them? LMAO

I would love to see the zoo not have to move, but the city of Jackson city coucil, and previous mayoral administrations have not done their job as leadership of a urban municipality. That's all. Visiting the zoo for the past 15 years has been a questionable as far as going into the West Jackson area. Why has nothing happened in the past 15 years.

It is pretty clear the mayor does not work for the entire City of Jackson. This kind of leadership - on both sides - is what will keep us solidly planted at #50. What's happening in Jackson is just a microcosm of what's holding us back as a state. People who could contribute and move things forward are run off because the leadership doesn't care about anything other than guarding their spot at the feeding trough and sees anyone talented, competent and hardworking as a threat.

It is the Jackson Zoo, not the West Jackson, South Jackson, North Jackson, or Midtown Jackson Zoo. Won't say East Jackson Zoo because that would place it in Rankin County. The people who live in the other parts of the city have opinions that are just as valid as those in West Jackson.

wait, we are still allowed to have tools? i thought they were dangerous.

Have not seen anywhere in the press where the State has provided any indication whatsoever that they are ready to fund a new zoo. Yet listening to the video KF provided the speakers, including Lumumba, make it sound as if the Legislature is itching to appropriate the money.

Proving, once again, this "rradical" wants what is best, not for the city, but for the "oppressed majority".

Well...all hot air. The state isn't ponying up the money to move it and the city has no money to keep funding it.

Sadly, the zoo's days are numbered..

Same "toolbox" threat he used when JPS appeared to be in danger of a takeover. I say call his bluff.

What the hell is he talking about, "tax base leaving Jackson"? Dude, do you not even know that the proposed site would still be in Jackson? How is this not racism? I don't give a damn if the zoo is on the purple side of town; I just want it where it is in a nice area and is as crime-free as possible. Is that really too much to ask, you friggin racist morons. Let's keep progress from happening because we let the pride of the color of our skin get in the way- good job Chokwe- strong leadership skills on display!

I know when the new fire station was built there was discussion as to if the property could be used for the station, it was told at that time that if the property was used for any purpose other than the zoo it would revert to the family of the original owners who had donated the land to the city for the building of the zoo.

Here's my take on the zoo move: Once the financial projections for the zoo move are published, do the following:

- Take the assumptions related to the total cost of the move and double them
- Take the assumptions related to the incremental revenue as a result of the move and cut it by 1/3

Having done the above, if the projections still support the move and require not $1.00 of additional tax revenue, move the zoo. Otherwise, shut the zoo down completely.

If private money wants to step up and fund the move - more power to them. But a city that has a sub-standard water system and crumbling streets cannot afford a zoo. I know that there are those who will cry that the zoo is a vital cultural asset, it's good for the kids, yadda, yadda... Again, I say: A city that has a sub-standard water system and crumbling streets cannot afford a zoo.

Since you 'sit on the zoo board', you ought to stop commenting altogether instead of claiming you will yet interjecting your comments periodically under some fake guise of neutrality.

Meanwhile: "....all the tools in our toolbox" is a tired and worn phrase that disappeared fifteen years ago when consultants took over private sector board rooms.

5:32...what in hell do you figure the 'original owners' would do if they were presented with the deed for this property again?

Take the money out of the 1% sales tax fund. The commission has already shown there are on restrictions on how and where the money is spent. Everybody is happy and we are still broke.

The last time I went to the Zoo, the car next to mine was broken into, I have not been back and that was about 6 years ago. I'm not going into a crime area of Jackson. Sad part, I would love to take my grandkids to the Zoo, so I guess I'll take them to Memphis or Birmingham!!!!

I believe that the folks who spoke from the podium are sincere and passionate in their beliefs. But even if they are well-intended, their sincerity and passion will not save the zoo. Moreover, the speakers did not address the needs of the animals; offer an executable plan, with specific goals and target dates for achievement, to improve the zoo and the surrounding neighborhood; discuss the ongoing, unmet expectations of guests and families (which is reflected by the dramatic decrease in attendance); or admit that a modern zoo would provide new educational opportunities that cannot be provided by the current facility. Irrational optimism and dreamy politicians will not save the zoo, but clear-eyed pragmatism and an intellectually-honest acceptance of the problems with the zoo's current location might. And, by the way, the loss of animal exhibits is directly attributable to the ongoing decreases in funding from the city.

Move the zoo to Madison or Rankin. Otherwise it's dead and will die a slow painful sad death in Jackson. KF has there been any discussion moving the zoo outside of Hinds?

KF, you made note of one of the serious problems with this operation. You are on the zoo board, as you say. You are a city appointee to the board. The city puts roughly a million dollars into this operation every year, along with what the state puts into it.

BUT, as a member of the zoo board you cannot publically say anything about it. The board, controlled by the private sector, non-profit association members, require a "confidentiality agreement" from their board members? This is a publically funded operation, but the board members cannot tell the public what is going on?

Might as well admit to the fact that the public cannot attend or know of the actions taken by the board, or the super-secret Executive Committee of the board (that doesn't contain any of the public body representatives).

They (you?) want out money; to spend a hundred million dollars but all actions or discussions are to be kept in confidence? Hell, even the airport commission is better run than this circus - or should I just call it what is is - zoo?

I haven’t been to the zoo since my middle child was in a stroller. She’s in middle school. My oldest is in high school. I took him several times. My youngest child has been to Memphis Zoo, New Orleans Zoo, Zoo in Gulf Shores, Hattiesburg Zoo, but never Jackson. Sadly, the Zoo cannot prosper in an area that most people won’t even consider going to.

5:38 - BINGO - you win! Selling our house in NE Jackson, moved our business out of state, and gone. DIdn't want to leave after living here 25 years, but no one in the state or local government hears anything but their own voices. 4:26 kind of outlined it for us too! Wicker and Cochran are worthless, and don't expect much more from our new Senator "Cindy" ......and before we get Espy we're packing the wagon and getting out of town and the state. Zoo is just a reflection of the bigger picture. Those animals deserve better........and we deserve better than what we get, here in this state, and also in the city of Jackson. Cannot affect change because those holding on to power -- will never give it up -- even for the good of the state. Zoo fight is classic example -- not what is best overall but what is best to maintain THEIR power. Kingfish -- good luck on fighting the good fight!

Keeping the zoo in that war zone is a joke. Leaders have to think ahead. If they wanted the zoo to stay, our leaders should have worked to improve that area instead of crying at the last minute. If our leaders really want what is best, they would behind moving it to a safe, family friendly environment. Keep your crying up and you may see the zoo move to one of our neighboring cities.

Mayor Lum. is just working his base, What a Jerk!

Understandably Mayor Lumumba is being pressured by West Jackson and their leadership regarding having the zoo remain in its current location. However he is going about getting it in the completely wrong way and unfortunately this is not the first time he has caved to this kind of pressure. When President Trump attended the opening of the Civil Rights and Mississippi History Museum Mayor Lumumba could have done so much good for the city of Jackson by putting aside pettiness and meeting with a U.S. President on the many issues that face the city. He would have been on national television touting the importance of the museums and their impact. Instead he followed the race baiters and held a protest of which no attention was given followed a few weeks later by another a separate opening of the museums of which no attention was given.

He just held a press conference and tried to shame everyone into investing in an area that has steadily declined over an extended period of time just because "they deserve the same investment as the people from Northeast Jackson". However here is the next chapter in this sad story. Just like the minor league baseball team and every movie theater and many other businesses such as Puckett Machinery, one day a group outside of Jackson will decide that a zoo is a good idea in either Rankin or Madison County. All the current and potential private investment in the current zoo will follow and the collateral benefit that could have stayed in Jackson will do likewise.

I certainly had hopes for this mayor but he is trending in the wrong direction.

The current location is clearly not working. Attendance continues to decline. Even the residents of west Jackson don’t support it, so ironically they don’t want to lose it. It’s just not in a safe area for families.

A breath of stale air.

Close the Jackson Zoo down & build a new Zoo in Rankin County Near Trustmark ball park.

I never heard anything about the legislature pledging 50 million or 50 cents towards moving the zoo. The zoo is experiencing a slow death at it's present location and it's condition is very representative of much of the city. The mayor's stance sadly resembles the Farish Street farce that went on for so many years. These people live in a fairy tale world built around pipe dreams of spending other people's money. If the zoo is part of the real world it will need income. Years of real world experience have shown that it won't have the income to survive in it's present location. Unless the Mississippi legislature becomes a bullfrog with wings, or Santa Claus moves to Capitol Street, the city will have to find more and more money from it's own empty purse to subsidize this mess. Close it or move it if you can. I'm betting on closure.

This is the same bunch of jackasses who can criticize past administrations for kicking the can down the road and postponing hard fiscal decisions until they become a crisis. Well this young twit of a mayor just kicked a field goal!

Seems like I've heard him use that "tools in the toolbox" line before.

No originality, no critical thought, no leadership. Just an empty suit.

Flint, MI residents say, "at least we're not Jackson, MS".

Have the zoo's current financials and a proforma of the relocated zoo been posted? And who is left with the possible environmental risk/cleanup of the facility left behind?

It is time for the welfare of the animals currently housed at the Jackson Zoo to come first. They deserve to be in a facility where they will be safe and cared for properly. Jackson, Mississippi is history.

Until the driving-on-the-surface-of-the-moon condition of Ellis Ave, the main marked artery from the Interstate, is fixed, the zoo is (for all practical purposes) inaccessible. I have to drive Ellis from Woodrow Wilson to Robinson once a week, and have had to replace 2 tires and one rim due to the horrible conditions. The city apparently has forgotten Ellis Ave even exists.

9:33, have you been to a Braves game recently? The attendance has declined steadily as have the levels of entertainment and concessions. Maybe we need a new thread on when the Braves are inevitably leaving because management is just going through the motions.

So many people claim to have left Jackson and no longer care what goes on in Jackson...until there is a thread to bash Jackson, and then everybody knows what is best for Jackson.

It's pretty clear some of you know nothing about the zoos you do visit as to the surrounding areas. You only know about the entrances.

I've seen zero reliable estimates about what the costs would be in plans to improve our current zoo, including security versus relocation.

So, I don't know with any degree of certainty what plan I would support.

Why can't Madison and Rankin counties comes together and build a zoo at the state park - Jackson has no claim on the land. I like the sound of the Rankin-Madison Zoo on Lakeland Drive! Jackson's zoo is gone - if you come down Capital Street, Woodrow Wilson or Ellis Avenue - it looks like a war zone. Either Jackson moves the zoo to Lakeland Drive or Rankin/Madison builds one. That's the only solution!

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Sound familiar?

I would think a well run zoo that actually attracts patrons and sells concessions would be able to make up for the $1 million they get (or won’t) from the city.

6:24 a.m.
It is inevitable that the Braves will move their franchise to a different location. Just as they moved to Mississippi from, where was it? One of the Carolinas? Minor league sports teams have a shelf life of around 20 years. Remember the Jackson Mets? Generals?

If somebody can invent a way to make elephant shit and monkey piss not stink, a zoo might be a neat idea. The only reason we ever went to zoos years ago was the novelty of it all and curiosity. Now every child from age 1.5 sees every animal in living color on various media screens in his own house. Take that kid to a zoo and he's thoroughly disappointed. Concessions? Are you kidding?

... have you been to a Braves game recently? The attendance has declined steadily ...

Mississippi Braves Average Per Game Attendance
Ten Years ending 2017
Ten Year Average Attendance = 2936 per game

2008 --> 3166
2009 --> 2997
2010 --> 2620
2011 --> 2738
2012 --> 2904
2013 --> 2861
2014 --> 3152
2015 --> 3190
2016 --> 2838
2017 --> 2889

That isn't a steady decline but keep on pontificating as if you actually know something.

Even though 7:28am is looking out for the best interest of Madison and Rankin counties, they pointed out the truth when it comes to approaching the Jackson Zoo from Capital Street, Woodrow Wilson or Ellis Avenue, whether from downtown or I-220, it is just not good for branding Mississippi, Jackson, or the Jackson metro area.

Zoo's are tourist attractions and is a representation of the local community. It's like having a great man cave, but the rest of the house is a disaster.

None of the businesses over there are held accountable for keeping their properties clean, pressure washed, parking lots paved, grass cut, hedges maintained.

You can only blame white-flight for so much, the leadership that has been in charge for the last two decades has not been proactive or creative in addressing the blight in that area.

The best thing to do is start over from scratch.

Move the Zoo off Lakeland, it will be next to the Children's Museum, creating a new parkway. Down the road, we could perhaps add an aquarium over there. Grouping the zoo, children's museum, and an aquarium would give us an educational experience comparable to some major cities. Moving to Lakeland would be logistically sound, and even better, it's not in a residential area.

With the old zoo, create a park, with a community center, perhaps an outdoor theatre, start working on rehabilitating the property along with the area as a collective. Have a plan in place before the property is vacated. Come out with the win/win scenario.

King,

please, please, please correct me if I'm wrong. You criticize Jackson elected officials for not talking to you while in the same breath you say that if they tried to talk to you about the Zoo you wouldn't talk to them?

Now which one of us is crazy?

Have to do like Gulf Shores Zoo just did. Sell the land the zoo sits on to pay for a new zoo. I’m sure a developer would buy it to put in something.

I am headed to the Collins Zoo. See y'all!

Until you fix the zoo called Jackson you can never expect to fix the zoo in jackson

Laughed watching WLBT last night as Mayor Chokwe Antar Talk-a-lot apparently determined that his toolbox wasn't big enough to BS the public so he upped the ante on the fly by boasting he'll use every tool in Jackson's shed.

Mayor Lumumba, "I said that we would use all, we would look at all tools in our shed as an opportunity to demonstrate what we feel."

What kills me is the state will fund the civil rights museum & try to remove the flag. To be honest most whites & Hispanics will never attend. This museum is about promoting black folks & the majority of black will attend. Why can't the state fund something that will benefit all peoples & animals? The state needs to use every tool in the shed to do this. They could fund the Zoo be removing funds they pay to Jackson. Win! Win! Make America Great Again!

I'm not surprised at Hiz Honner's ignorance--I AM SURPRISED at the number of people who responded to the recent poll who voted to move the ZOO------IT'S OVER PEOPLE--WE ARE DEAD BROKE LIVING IN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY--DOES HAITI HAVE A ZOO?

For the sake of the animals please close this dump down and move them to zoos with the ability to provide them more humane living conditions.

Frank, no I didn't.

Public vs private. The only opportunity the elected leadership of Jackson has to stem the growing exit of private capital from their city is to leverage their authority over quasi-private entities like the zoo. Their problem is that zoos everywhere operate only as long as they can MAKE money. The mayor of Jackson being a socialist will not readily accept this concept. It is absolutely contrary to all he believes and loves to accept that business chases the money and the zoo is a business. It is doing what the metro-center tenants and all the other businesses that ran from Hwy 80 and west Jackson when the money left town. They followed the money. Fortunately there is still a small cut of Jackson where the money is comfortable and the zoo might survive. Even that is not a certainty. What is certain is that under the current leadership, and for the near future Jackson will have a publicly funded liability until it dies under it's own weight. The mayor and his folk don't want to see poor folk deprived of civic improvements and public
benefits simply because they are poor and live in squalor. But, when it comes to private business, or any enterprise requiring income, even a zoo will follow the cash it needs to operate. That's simple economics. The mayor should concentrate his socialist agenda on providing the best public service to poor folk by fixing their streets, replacing their aging infrastructure, giving them good sanitation and police protection, etc. I wish him well.

@ 8:56am

What kills me is the state will fund the civil rights museum & try to remove the flag. To be honest most whites & Hispanics will never attend. This museum is about promoting black folks & the majority of black will attend.

I seriously disagree.

1st - the state legislature has not done anything to change the flag. You have some elected officials that feel the flag needs to be changed. But the leadership, from the Governor to the Leftenant Governor, to the Speaker of the House, has kept all proposals at the committee level and nothing has been brought to a vote. Most actions against the flag have come from private groups and local municipalities at their own discretion. For the record, the state flag is terrible for our branding and image, even Kingfish will tell you that. Its time we change it just like Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina already have done so.

2nd - The civil rights museum is not simply about "promoting" black people. There are plenty of white people showcased in that museum, showing they were on the right side of history and contributed to the civil rights movement as well. That museum is an educational institution and is a tourist attraction to the state of Mississippi. I am pretty sure the surrounding hotels and restaurants are benefitting from its success.

3rd - due to the Zoo falling within the boundry lines of the Capitol Complex, I agree with you there, the state could funnel funds to the Zoo to make it more attractive, since it contributes to the state as a central attraction.

The way Antar says "RIGHT?" after about every other sentence he utters is just the worst thing in the world. Literally nails on a chalkboard listening to this cunning linguist.

Y’all sure do a bunch of whining about the zoo. Hell I take my white ass and tow headed kids over there regularly and we have a blast! Now admittedly I don’t suggest you stroll through the surrounding area at night by yourself but we have always felt very comfortable with all the “colored folks” at the zoo and will continue to patronize it until it’s dying breath.

I'm a loyal Jacksonian, and think that my fair city has a lot to offer, but this is absolute nonsense for a mayor elected to represent the WHOLE city. There are some very important issues that the city of Jackson and the Mayor need to accept. The zoo is inconvenient for the majority of the population of the city of Jackson. The zoo is in a blighted area. The infrastructure around the zoo is in disrepair. These aren't racial, they aren't socio-economic, they aren't Republican or Democrat. These are facts.

How the City of Jackson and the Mayor can refuse to give the Zoo and the infrastructure of around it the support it needs for decades, and then act offend

To get to the zoo you have to drive through a run-down neighborhood. It would be unadvisable to walk around in that neighborhood if your car broke down.

The actual roads around the zoo are terrible. Potholes, cracks--infrastructure nightmare.

The zoo itself now looks run down again. Kids barn? closed. Display with the fish and otters--major repairs needed. Old crummy bear displays.

Poor giraffe doesn't have grass to go into anymore. What about the bored monkeys in small cages? The rhino looks happy in the old elephant yard...

do we need a zoo? i'd rather funds from the state that would go towards a zoo go to enlarging the science museum, renovating the ag museum,--if they are in position to give the zoo anything.

jackson needs to improve many areas of the city--keeping a zoo where it is isn't helping anything..let alone the animals who sometimes get killed by packs of roaming dogs. at least the cougars and tigers can fight back..

Why does it need to move? Because many people, especially white ones if we're honest, don't want to go to it any longer because it's surrounded by a "bad" neighborhood. The condition of that neighborhood is, of course, the result of all the worst parts of Jackson's distant and recent history. When I and many of you were growing up, Jackson's perceived (and "safe") center of gravity had not yet moved so far north and east because whites had not yet fled much of Jackson, taking wealth and caring about the entire city with them.

So white people fled. Fast forward a few decades, and now many people say the zoo is supposed to pick up and follow them. There are people who claim to care for the city who believe the zoo should be out toward the flood plains surrounding Lakeland Drive because, they tell us, people will go to the zoo there.

The right people, the implication is.

I dare say the new Mississippi way, the "subSIPPI" way let's call it, is to not pick up and move the zoo (and probably leave a huge abandoned hulk in an already-challenged neighborhood). The smart and compassionate approach is to support the zoo in whatever way we can exactly where it is. I've been there many times and have never feared the drive to and from (sure we're not talking about the "I see black people" problem here?). The zoo has security. And it's beautiful and historic.

Go for a romantic stroll at the zoo, take your kids, book a party there. It's time that we become the type of city and state that does not run from our problems, but stays, digs in and works together to repair them.

We can do this, Jackson. Together we heal

- Donna Ladd, October 2013

To Plain Ol' Catfish, you make some really good points, particularly about property owners in the area not maintaining their properties. Old abandoned buildings are allowed to rot and the owners, many out of state, are not sanctioned for allowing blight to fester. The city administrators for the last several decades have neglected this.

I also like your idea about an aquarium, but I think we should forgo the zoo altogether and use the funds to build a new aquarium near the children's museum. Aquariums attract more visitors than zoos these days it seems, and I would imagine the expense is equal, if not lower. You could incorporate an aviary to have exotic birds on display as well. It would be a far better investment than a transplanted zoo.

What tools...bricks, sticks and bottles?

The mayor needs to think outside the box. The zoo is no major economic resource to west jackson. Honestly, how many people stop and buy gas or eat at any of the fine eating establishments in that part of town when traveling to the zoo. I grant you there may be a couple of dozen people from that area that are zoo employees but the fine mayor could provide buses to transport those to a new area.
He needs to transform the zoo into a co-op village which would be self sustaining. Everyone could contribute to the whole and create a model for a socialized village. The site already has walking trails, part of a rail system, and recreation potential with Livingston Lake. It was a fine swimming hole in the 1960's. The mayor could use the residents to help in disassembling many of the abandoned houses in the area and use the lumber to build cottages. Once inhabited it could be a showcase for academicians, think tanks, social justice advocates, and socialists. Hawkins field could benefit by having these groups fly in and experience this village lifestyle. Seminars to discuss this concept could be held regularly. The residents could also help revitalize Sonny Guy golf course so visitors could have recreation when they visit the area. Why not construct a lodge or bed and breakfast housing and let people from around the country live the life of utopia. It would be kind of like visiting a Dude Ranch. This particular village could be name Co-OP-Lumumbaville. Other Co-Op villages could be generate along Ellis, West Capital, and Woodrow Wilson streets.

Isn't this what Antwar and his Dad were visualizing?

1:07 you’ve been watching too much Westworld

Went to the zoo a few days ago and asked one of the employees about the move. Was told the time frame they are looking at is 6-10 years IF the funding can be secured. So I don't know why the Mayor and everyone are protesting about the zoo moving. It's far from a done deal. The zoo will be in west Jackson for at least 6 more years, and let's be honest, it will likely be there forever (or until it closes permanently) because where is the funding going to come from? I was excited initially about the proposed move, but I really doubt it will ever happen.

KF, at the end he said the city gives the zoo 900k each year. What are the other funding sources? Thanks.

I am shocked that Jackson still has a zoo at all . . .

Simple. Leave the zoo, open up a new zoo in Madison and see who is open in 5 years.
Mayor moron can have it his way with all his cliches.

The Mayor isn't smart enough to make it through UMC,MC Law, or Millsaps; yet he "runs" the city.

You want to make this a race thing, lets look at how white people are treated that go into West Jackson (crickets), now lets flip the races.

Dear Black Jackson Community,

Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of white people have come to Jackson for college or graduate school, none of whom are racist, yet here their buttons are pressed, they care more about the black children than you care probably, on top of that those that are homeowners pay insane property taxes just to be taken for granted and label as racist for a giving a crap.

Imagine your tax base, Mayor, without the area east of the tracks.

Not a racist, just a former JPS teacher from elsewhere who knows how messed up Jackson is. I really enjoyed having students come to my class that have committed felonies before, no big deal. Shame on y'all for letting these children think its ok to be a butthead.

What on earth was the Board of Directors thinking by making this announcement right now?!

It's going to take, at the VERY least, three years to get the move in order. Why wouldn't the board at least entertain the City's renewal offer for the year and use the announcement as leverage to increase funding into 2019? Making the move announcement after the September renewal would take away all the City's leverage, it would have taken the wind out of the mayor's political sails, and it would have given the zoo the ability to make the move sooner.

From where I'm sitting, this move is a strategic nightmare. The announcement was too early (the zoo still needs to conduct land studies at the new location, sure up investment, etc), it snubbed the city by not giving them the chance to make a good faith offer, and it's couched in mathematical fantasy. Director Poff should resign and the rest of the board should do the same. The fact that it took 10 years to roll this horrible plan out is amazing.

I am a life long Jacksonian and have enjoyed our zoo for many years. As others have experienced, I have not been to the zoo in over 10 years because my car was burglarized while on my last visit to the zoo. Interestingly enough, I was parked about 30 feet from the entrance zoo, a fact that did not deter the burglar. He (coulndn't have been a woman) took a a hammer like tool destroyed my driver's side door, also. He was never caught, of course.

About the move: I sincerely sympathize with those who want the zoo to remain where it is. However, If we had no zoo, where would the city build it to ensure its success?

Would you build it in a blighted neighborhood or at a location close I-55 and other parks and attractions?

Politics aside, we need a larger market of locals and visitors who would feel comfortable taking their families to the zoo.

If anyone thinks that blacks feel any safer going to Livingston Park than whites, just step forward.

If anyone feels that businesses near the zoo would be hurt, then just understand that there are no businesses near the zoo. Even it there were, folks who go to the zoo in its present location, rarely-if ever-do anything but drive to the zoo and then drive back from where they came.

For the life of me, I can't find any reason why the current location of the zoo benefits West Jackson or the City of Jackson.

The zoo is doomed in its present location. Anybody who disagrees is simply making a political statement. It is sad, but the mayor is simply wrong in taking his position. He is a smart man, but he is rejecting what his best judgment is telling him and playing politics. Good bye, Jackson Zoo.

"all the tools in the tool box" . . . reminds me of junior high physics and six simple machines (tools). The mayor's first choice tool is the simplest of all, the wedge, although his only skill is the metaphorical use thereof.

I think it's selfish, down right ridiculous and just stupid for anyone to want that zoo stay in it's current location. There is a season for everything and right now unless the city is willing to pump a whole lot of money in west Jackson it will make no sense to keep that zoo there. The zoo is not just for West Jackson it's for the whole state and people who are visiting Jackson cause they like it. First off the appearance of that area has gone down very badly. Second off the city only wants to step up due to them wanting to move it. If the same energy would have been into the zoo before hand and the surrounding area this would not be happening. For the city of Jackson administration step aside and let these developers and people who are experienced with developing things do so. Also, if they just let their city planners have his way and stop blocking him from doing things the right way and instead of the racial way Jackson will be a better. Moving the zoo to the bluffs will be a boom to city. Hopefully will draw other developments to that area such as new hotels, other attractions and more shopping.

Mr. Mayor, please DO use the tools in your toolbox, as in lawn mowers and weedeaters, along the path entering and exiting Downtown Jackson. How embarrassing for all of us as our visitors come in for business purposes and cultural events. Surely you notice this on your way to and from work every day!

To be honest the Zoo should be moved to the bluffs and if not the bluffs fix the flood problem and put it at the southeast corner of Pascagoula St. and Jefferson St.. I think the Jackson Administration need to take a back seat on this one and concentrate on regular functions of the city. How can they know what is best for the city when they are to busy arguing with each other. The zoo represent more than just west Jackson but the city as a whole. I the councils spend less time naming streets and more time focusing on what matters in a city. That zoo can be a magnet for other developments if it is relocated to the right spot. I think it should be more than a zoo wherever it relocates to such as a family adventure. The existing zoo land can make way for the development of much needed single family housing and townhouses.