The November 1 deadline for bids to manage the Jackson Zoo is fast approaching. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said four bids have been submitted. The Lumumba Administration issued a request for proposals to operate the zoo. The Jackson Zoological Society has a lease agreement to manage the zoo. The contract expired October 1 but the City Council extended it to December 31.
The City Council also voted to conduct a forensic audit of the Jackson Zoo's books. Chief Administrative Officer Dr. Robert Blaine said that the audit would be completed within four weeks. The city had to bail out the zoo in August. Former Executive Director Beth Poff
resigned after she admitted to mispending state bond money on
operations. The city has to repay $350,000 to the state by the middle
of November.
Kingfish note: The zoo's attendance for the 2017-2018 fiscal year was 76,600. There is no other way to say it - the attendance fell off of a cliff from the previous year's attendance of approximately 101,000. The nosedive began almost to the day the Society voted to move the zoo to Lefleur's Bluff last spring. The media broadcast stories for several months about the condition of the area around the zoo and the public took notice.
The attendance improved in August and was only 500 visitors below August 2017 but the damage was done. However, the September attendance was close to the September 2017 attendance. October's attendance is 1,300 more than it was in October 2017. Boo at the Zoo drew 400 more visitors than it did last year. Thus the zoo is off to a good start in FY 2018-2019. Amazing what ripping off the band-aids will do.
5 comments:
when do we get a forensic audit of the city of Jackson / city council?
The problems at the zoo are not repairable but are a very convenient diversion to addressing the real problems in Jackson which are irreparable also. What a cluster. This can has been kicked down the road about as far as it will go and the next Governor and legislature will have to deal with Jacktown or just build a wall around and declare the whole damn thing a "Zoo".
This is like the engine crew requesting an inspection of the Titanic as it keels over into the icy abyss.
Combine an audit with a study and a blue ribbon commission. That will allow the can to be kicked down the road even further.
Beth Poff, the USA doesn't have an extradition treaty with Venezuela. Just saying...
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