The Chattanooga City Council approved money for the Chattanooga Zoo expansion during Tuesday night’s council meeting, as part of the city’s five-year plan for capital improvements.
The total amount allocated in the city’s budget for the zoo’s new Africa exhibit is about $1 million over five years. This year, the city council approved $250,000 for the 2018 fiscal year. The total cost for the zoo’s expansion is $10 million, and the zoo plans to raise the rest of that funding.
The expansion will create new jobs at the zoo and increase the zoo’s educational capabilities through expanding classroom spaces. The exhibit will bring lions and giraffes, as well as a number of other species to Chattanooga.
But some are opposed to the expansion, taking to social media to voice their concerns with bringing more exotic animals to Chattanooga. One group, Chattanooga Opposed to Zoo Expansion, started a petition on Change.org to ask the City Council not to fund the expansion. The group’s goal was to have 1,000 signatures before Tuesday night’s council vote. As of Wednesday evening, the petition was 145 signatures shy of that goal.
The Chattanooga Zoo site plan is shown on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, in ChattanoogaJoel Willis, a Chattanooga resident, was present at Tuesday night’s council meeting. His concerns were for the relocation of Powerhouse Gym that is currently located in Warner Park, the same area as the zoo.