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Commission approves Alameda Zoo wall work after inspectors warned project must move forward or zoo could close
Summary
The commission approved Public Works bid 2025-002 to complete the Alameda Zoo wall after staff said USDA had given the zoo multi-year warnings and could close the facility without progress. Commissioners discussed permits, contractor licensing and funding sources.
The Alamogordo City Commission voted 7–0 to proceed with the next phase of Alameda Zoo wall repairs after staff said the U.S. Department of Agriculture had threatened closure if the city did not show continued progress. Public Works staff told commissioners the contractor has permits and authority to work in the railroad right-of-way and that multiple regulator visits (CID, Union Pacific, USDA) were notified by a competing contractor but that required permits have been obtained. The city’s representative said work on the duck pond portion is nearly finished and recommended funding to complete the remaining wall sections. Engineer and project oversight remarks in the agenda packet explained that USDA inspectors had put the zoo on a multi-year compliance timetable; staff said the USDA representative indicated the zoo could be shut down if adequate progress was not visible on the wall project. The presentation noted that the project’s funding would come from the city’s quality-of-life tax receipts (Section 105 economic development/quality-of-life allocations) and that the city continues to receive that tax revenue. Commissioners raised questions about contractor qualifications, underground utility locates and whether work had proceeded before permits were fully documented. Public Works staff said the contractor holds required licensing classifications (GB98 and related classifications listed) and that the contractor’s business partner — an engineer who holds the permit — signed the required documents. Staff said daily photographic logs and GPS-marked utilities are being kept for future reference. Motion to approve Public Works bid 2025-002 passed 7–0; staff said USDA required demonstrable progress by a late-year inspection and that the approved work included the alternate to finish the remainder of the wall. Staff also said the protective netting project for the bird exhibits is a separate bid package and that those bid documents were being prepared.
