Ogden Dinosaur Park seeks higher admission, unveils playground and hatchery plans

Shane Lyon, board chair of the Ogden Dinosaur Park and Museum, told the South Ogden City Council on Jan. 21 that the park drew a little more than 104,000 visitors in 2024 and is asking the city to consider a proposed general admission increase from $8 to $12.

The request accompanies several capital and program initiatives the park presented during the council work session: a phase‑1 all‑abilities playground scheduled for spring, a new “hatchery” workshop for fabricating and maintaining sculptures and rotating exhibits, and expanded education and outreach under newly hired Park Director Sarah Meir.

Lyon said the park’s core staff is about 18 people and praised recent hires: “We were so excited to welcome Sarah Meir as our park director who started yesterday,” Lyon said. He said the park recorded about 32,000 adult admissions, substantial youth attendance and roughly 17,000 memberships during 2024. Lyon described outreach gains, new marketing work and participation in local passes and events as part of an effort to restore and grow attendance.

Nut graf: The park is asking the council to permit an admission rate increase and to support longer‑term fundraising for an expanded playground project that park leaders estimate could total more than $2,000,000 for later phases. Park officials said the additional revenue from admissions would be used for staff wages, maintenance, and project support while keeping membership prices unchanged.

Park officials described program and marketing highlights that they said justify the request. Jeff Bond, the park’s education director, outlined education offerings from day camps and a summer lecture series to outreach programs that reached regional partners and school groups. Shane Lyon said the park hired a marketing firm and reported a 35 percent jump in web traffic and notable growth on the park’s YouTube presence; the park also joined a local Get Out Pass program that Lyon said currently gives them access to about 90,000 pass holders and had produced 250 visits in November–December.

On capital projects, Lyon described an all‑abilities playground that will replace a 30‑year‑old play structure on the east side of the park, with equipment already on order and a “soft grand opening” expected around May. He said the park envisions a multistage program: phase 1 will deliver accessibility improvements and new equipment, while a later phase could cost “2,000,000 plus” and expand themed landscaping, sculptures and amenities.

The park’s hatchery project is intended as a fabrication and conservation space where staff and interns can build and repair sculptures, produce rotating exhibits for partner institutions and expand hands‑on education. “The hatchery is going to make a lot of that possible,” Bond said, describing 3‑D printers and studio space for local artists and interns.

Lyon told councilors that all staff wages at the park come from admissions and gift‑shop revenue and that recent wage increases left the park running a payroll deficit. He said the last general admission increase was in 2022, when the price rose from $6 to $8. The park requested council review of the proposed $12 admission and said memberships — including a discounted “Dinos for All” membership for WIC- and SNAP‑eligible households — would not change.

Council members asked about the size and timing of the increase and urged market testing. Council Member Haier/Hayer warned that a 50 percent single‑step increase could depress attendance and recommended additional research; Lyon acknowledged the need for more polling and said the park prefers to link any increase to the playground opening.

Mayor remarks during the meeting signaled support for the park’s fundraising effort: the mayor described the city’s request for seed funding for the all‑abilities playground as intended to help leverage larger philanthropic donations. The mayor said the park’s leadership had “the contacts and the relationships” to lead a larger capital campaign.

The presentation included programs and participation counts (special events, field trips, memberships, ramp/free days and birthday/camp bookings). Several council members praised the park’s marketing and community engagement. No formal council action or vote on the rate increase or capital funding was recorded at the work session.

Ending: Park leaders said they will provide more detailed market research and timing for the proposed admission change and return with requests for council approval as project timelines firm. The council work session moved on to other agenda items after questions from members.