Position Paper

December 4, 2008 by Tia

Tia Duncan Duncan 1

English 2010

Position Paper

Renew the Zoo

The Utah Hogle Zoo has been enriching, educating, and entertaining the families in our community for 77 years. This November, there is a proposition on the ballot that should be voted YES to. It’s the time to improve the quality of life for the folks in the county, especially the children and also improve the quality of life for the animals that live in the zoo.

Knowing the FactsThe first question many people may be asking is what is Proposition #2? Salt Lake County’s Proposition 2 would authorize the county to issue a 20-year, $33 million bond for the acquiring, improving and renovating facilities of The

Duncan 2 Utah Hogle Zoo. The County Council has set a rule that before bond money can be released, the zoo has to comes up with $11 million in other funding: by pledges, private donations, or a combination of the two. They have two years from when the proposition passes, November 2010, to get the $11 million and they currently have $7.3 million.

http://www.leaveyourprint.com/candidates_propositions.aspx, https://www.hoglezoo.org/renew-the-zoo/faq)

https://www.hoglezoo.org/renew-the-zoo/faq)

* Animal Care Center ($1.5 million): The nonprofit ASLAM Foundation has pledged $1.5 million for a new animal hospital if Hogle Zoo

can match that sum in donations, from ticket revenue or as part of the bond. The new clinic would be more spacious; groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for the fall.
* Arctic Edge ($20 million): Polar bears will return to Hogle Zoo as the central attraction of this multianimal habitat, where visitors can observe the bears, wolves, owls and

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seals on land and under water. The opening is contingent on funding, but Hogle officials say the exhibit could be finished by 2013.

* Infrastructure upgrades ($18 million): In preparation for a future African savannah exhibit, where zebras, giraffes and gazelles would roam, the zoo would re-create a major part of its 42-acre footprint at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, carving out new paths, opening space and adding guest amenities near the main entrance. Completion of the sprawling, crescent-shaped project, however, would be contingent upon further funding. (LaPlante)

The African savannah exhibit will require more money to complete. The zoo originally asked the county council for a $65 million bond but thought it would be better to focus on one thing at a time. The Arctic exhibit is priority because polar bears are becoming endangered in their natural environment due to Global Warming. There is a good chance that we’ll see a similar proposition like this one again in the future. Hogle Zoo wants to put animals in a more humane

condition that is more like their natural environment. They would like to make their habitats more natural and less like an exhibit. (Snow)

Benefits of Proposition 2These improvements will not only benefit the animals, it will also benefit the community. The zoo has incredible educational opportunities; there are

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fieldtrips and school outreach programs to aid teachers in the classroom. The

programs will teach students not only about the animals but about their habitats

and environmental conservation, but these programs can‘t be taught unless the

zoo has the exhibits and the animals to teach about. Also, the zoo is used for a recreational resource. Recent studies show that with the economy the way it is, more people are changing vacation plans and staying home instead, finding local attractions, the zoo provides a great getaway for many families. (

Now the big question, if Proposition #2 passes, what am I the taxpayer going to have to pay? The zoo bond will add about $0.39 a month, or $4.68 a year, to property taxes on the average home in the county. A vast majority of homeowners can afford this little increase to bring new life to the zoo. However, Utah Taxpayers Association Vice President Royce VanTassell questions whether now is the appropriate time to add $33 million to the public’s debt. He states “with the economy going into what appears to be some difficult times and with so many other priorities out there… it seems that now is not the time to be gilding the lily that is our zoo.” Renew the Zoo spokesperson Maura Carabello counters his argument by saying “that now is the time to upgrade, some of the exhibits are over 40 years old. The zoo wouldn’t be asking for more money it if didn’t believe the modernization was in the best interests of both the residents of

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Salt Lake County and the animals residents of the zoo.” She continues to say “in

a struggling economy the zoo can be a great resource for those whose family travel and entertainment budgets have been thinned.” (LaPlante) Carabello also stated “we don’t take asking the public for money lightly, we have a recent track record of using public funds well,” speaking of the new Elephant Encounter and Asian Highland exhibits. Douglas Tomkinson, the lead elephant keeper, also urges the public to vote yes to Proposition 2 by saying “ I have seen firsthand the benefits that our elephants have received with the renovation of their old enclosures, I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t want to give these advantages to more of our residents, including polar bears.” (

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20081016/ai_n30904812)

https://www.hoglezoo.org/renew-the-zoo/faq) On November 4, when it’s time to cast your vote, are you going to be thinking about the thirty nine cents a month, or the opportunity you have to make a huge difference in the lives of the animals that currently live at Hogle Zoo or will be able to live there because of the renovation? The right choice is to vote yes for Proposition 2.

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Work Cited

Chapman and Cutler LLP

http://www.leaveyourprint.com/candidates_propositions.aspxOfficial website of the Hogle Zoo