Here's How Kansas City Taxpayers Will Fund New Aquarium At The Zoo

Recently, and quizzically during a pandemic and impending civic bankruptcy, the mayor & city council moved forward with plans for an aquarium at the Zoo. 

Accordingly . . .

SPECIAL THANKS TO KICK-ASS TKC READERS WHO PRESSED CITY OFFICIALS FOR MORE DEETS ABOUT AQUARIUM FINANCING & MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN!!!

Sure, the response is mostly hype but it offers more details than we've seen so far about this pricey project that will only help to keep this town financially underwater. 

Check-it . . .

“Kansas City Zoo Aquarium Primary Points”

Thank you for raising your concerns over the construction of the aquarium while the City is facing such difficult financial challenges. The $75M project is being built without any City funds. It is a combination of Zoological Tax District and private funding. If this project did not move forward, none of this money could be used for anything else except zoo improvements. Attached are the details I asked the Zoo to put together. While some are concerned about the timing, the economic impact and jobs this will create are an overall benefit to the City. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. And, again, thank you for sharing your concerns.
 
The following and attachments were sent to me by the Zoo last Friday . . . I’ve also included them in the attached document called “Aquarium Primary Points”...

Aquarium Funding. There is no city funding involved in this project. This $75 million project will be funded through private donations and the Zoological District, which was created through a 1/8 cent sales tax in Jackson and Clay counties. Private funders will provide $30M and the Zoological District will provide up to $45M. In addition, we will be raising $10M for an endowment through private funders.

City Involvement. The Kansas City Zoo is a city-owned asset. The city has a contract with Friends of the Zoo (FOTZ), a nonprofit organization, to manage the day-to-day operations for the city and as part of that agreement, FOTZ must seek approval for any project expected to cost $500,000 or more as it impacts the value of the asset. This is why the Zoo asked for Parks and Recreation board approval of the project this past week in order for to move forward with the project. In this case, the aquarium will add $75 million of value to the city’s asset with no additional investment on the city’s part. 

Economic Impact. Adding an aquarium at the Kansas City Zoo will create jobs. Approximately 100 jobs would be needed just to support the new facility and its associated operations, based on past Zoo growth.  Adding an aquarium will also result in an additional $14 million in tourism to the Kansas City economy every year, bringing the zoo’s total annual economic benefit to $43.8 million. Of the projected 1.4 million annual visitors, 248,929 will stay overnight. The Aquarium will also grow visitation from those who live 20 to 50 miles outside the city. 

Track Record. The Kansas City Zoo was founded in 1909. While there were some ups and downs, the Zoo has made significant strides since Friends of the Zoo began managing the asset in 2002. It has continued to grow and improve, including delivering a balanced budget every year. Since 2006, the Zoo has:

-   Invested more than $96 million in capital projects. Particularly since the passage of the Zoological District tax in two counties in 2011, progress has been continuous including Helzberg Penguin Plaza, Orangutan Canopy, Stingray Bay, and Elephant Expedition, which opened this past May.

-   Increased visitor satisfaction from 31% to 71%.

-   Grown the number of annual visitors from 387,000 to about one million guests per year. 

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Developing . . .

Comments

  1. Good info. But the project still looks like a debacle.

    Oh well, I guess that means Jazoo will have to put forward more of an effort next year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ^^^

      Or expect another kc bailout or another tax.

      Delete
  2. The Real News.....Not The MSM Bullshit12/2/20, 10:22 AM

    Where does the 1/8 cent sales tax money go after it's collected?

    Does it remain in the city's hand or is it placed in a special bank account?

    This PR fluff piece looks good but it don't really answer the question of where's the money at and who is controlling it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The aquarium is gonna bring in 14 million huh?

    Suuuuure.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ^^^ I totally believe it!

    City Hall said it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fill the soon vacant Star building glass tank with water and KC has an instant aquarium for the P&L District.
    Lucas and gofer's 25 million tourists will come.
    Helling can perform as a pearl diving boy. Diving for pearls of wisdom.
    Hindenberger and Nihilson can be mermaids promoting the radical agenda of BLM and antifa.
    Win-win deal.



    ReplyDelete
  6. Good for the Zoo! This will be a fantastic addition to our great zoo. Good for them for moving the city forward!! progress!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We can just print money you guys!

      Delete
  7. Doesn't matter. Politicians are getting ready to trash the American Dollar and turn our once great nation into a third world country, while we focus on a tiny, but extremely costly, issue, intended to distract us.

    ReplyDelete
  8. 10:44 drink some more koolade

    ReplyDelete
  9. This will be great for KC. Can't wait to see it. The city must be moving forward at all times. No reason to fear change! Good for KC!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 10 million more tourists right?

      Delete
  10. Why won't this work? The airport did.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So glad this is coming out of my left pocket rather than my right.

    ReplyDelete
  12. ^^and yet it's not coming from your pocket geezer. Weird.

    ReplyDelete
  13. ^^True. Kansas City just shits money for stuff like this.

    ReplyDelete
  14. There is no city funding involved in this project. This $75 million project will be funded through private donations and the Zoological District, which was created through a 1/8 cent sales tax in Jackson and Clay counties. Private funders will provide $30M and the Zoological District will provide up to $45M. In addition, we will be raising $10M for an endowment through private funders.

    ReplyDelete
  15. 10:41, FTW!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. ^^^^^^Your point stupid?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Need a comma, chimp! Lol

      Delete
  17. What about the shootings and homicides in and around the Zoo and Swope Parkway.

    Hey kids, put on your body armor; we are going to the zoo !!

    Yippee !!

    Mom, do you have your Glock in the purse?

    Fuck the diaper bag, where's my clips ? We can't go to the zoo without ammo !!

    ReplyDelete
  18. ^^and yet nobody but geriatric fucktards seem to care about this though so...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Tanks should definitely be blletproof. Swope Park ya know.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The new zoo back in the nineties wasn’t supposed to cost the taxpayers one dime either but you see how well that worked out.

    ReplyDelete
  21. ^^Sorry pappy, I don't speak stroked-out geezer. Have your nurse translate. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What do you speak then, since we've hilariously established that it's not really English? Lol

      Play again Y/N

      Delete
  22. So it will work just like the private donations worked for the new animal shelter? Oh wait.....

    ReplyDelete

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