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Council approves Sioux Falls Zoo & Aquarium master plan, including Delbridge homage and aquarium concept; several residents voice opposition
Summary
The council approved a comprehensive master plan for the Great Plains Zoo & Aquarium that includes moving the Butterfly House, a Denny Sanford-named learning center with a Delbridge Museum homage, and a multistage aquarium and exhibit expansion; some public speakers objected to past decisions about the Delbridge collection and to donor naming.
The Sioux Falls City Council on July 15 approved the Zoo & Aquarium Master Plan, a multi‑phase blueprint that directs facility changes across the zoo’s 40‑plus‑acre campus and includes a proposed aquarium, relocation of the Butterfly House, and an education center that will host a film and interactive tribute to the Delbridge collection. Becky DeWitts, zoo director, and Parks staff described a phased plan spanning roughly 15–20 years with a conceptual budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars for the full campus build‑out. Key elements of the approved…
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