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Riverbanks update: gondola construction underway, new animals and education center planned
Summary
Riverbanks Zoo reported progress on bond-funded projects including a gondola expected to open in August, new Komodo and koala arrivals, a giraffe named Tahini, and plans for an education center; zoo said most early bond spending went to local contractors.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden staff updated Lexington County council on expansion and bond‑funded projects, including a gondola under construction, recent animal arrivals and a planned education center.
Tom Stringfellow, Riverbanks CEO, said the zoo completed a Komodo dragon facility and will breed Komodos in the future; new animals arriving include a giraffe named Tahini from Zoo Miami, a new male sea lion arrived from Omaha, and a new male koala named Milo from Zoo Atlanta. "This facility was done from a private investor who loved Komodos and was done with private money," Stringfellow said of the Komodo building.
Stringfellow described the gondola (branded for the bond project) as the first bond project to reach visible construction: towers are in place, terminals are being completed and cabins made in Switzerland are arriving. He said the gondola would be one of the only zoo gondolas in the U.S. and expected a late‑July ribbon-cutting with operations starting in August. "People are seeing things come out of the ground now, so they're asking a lot of questions and excitement's building," Stringfellow said.
An education building funded by a donor and designed by Todd Seese is scheduled to start construction in about a month to expand classroom and camp capacity; Stringfellow said camps sold out quickly and additional classroom space was needed.
Riverbanks reported that of the approximately $7.1 million spent so far on the gondola, $6.9 million was contracted to local vendors in Lexington and Richland counties across 22 vendors, and that most construction and permitting efforts required coordination with multiple agencies and municipalities.
Council members asked about future connectivity and potential routes to downtown and other county locations; Stringfellow said the immediate plan is to finish the garden side of the project and the gondola will facilitate faster guest circulation between garden and zoo areas.
