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Botanic Garden Advisory Board: Attendance and revenue up as zoo prepares to receive a rhino; several staff vacancies remain
Summary
At the Aug. 6 Botanic Garden Advisory Board meeting, a staff member reported year-to-date zoo attendance of 132,374 and earned revenue above $1.1 million; the board heard updates on staffing gaps, a rhino transfer planned for September, and several ongoing capital projects.
At its Aug. 6 meeting, the Botanic Garden Advisory Board heard that zoo attendance and earned revenue are up for the year and that the facility is preparing to accept a rhino this fall.
Speaker 3 (staff member) told the board that June attendance was about 22,000 and July was 21,600, bringing the year-to-date total to 132,374. "We're on track to not only, meet our budget number, but it hopefully exceed it," Speaker 3 said, reporting $163,800 in gross revenue for July and noting earned revenue for the year has topped $1.1 million.
The board was also given retail and food-service figures: the gift shop had a record month in July, bringing in about $40,000 and more than $252,000 year-to-date in sales, and Venue Works—the vendor operating the grill—reported $43,000 in gross sales for June.
Staffing and succession were a significant portion of the update. Speaker 3 said the zoo currently has three keeper vacancies and one maintenance position open after a transfer. The board was told that the head of maintenance, Dave Vogel, will retire in September after roughly 24–25 years with the operation. Speaker 3 also said two director-level roles will be posted: a general curator (deputy director–type role) and a newly created director of facilities and operations position intended to oversee facilities, projects, safety, security and guest services.
Project updates included a major renovation of the rhino holding area—referred to as the "clay project"—where steel has been delivered and work is underway. "We're still on track to ship a rhino here in September," Speaker 3 said, adding that zoo staff plan to travel to meet the animal and coordinating special dietary needs and husbandry details with the sending institution.
Other capital work noted during the update includes a year-round program of electrical upgrades to barns and outbuildings to eliminate temporary extension-cord solutions and an in-house retrofit in the Asian Valley to prepare for an incoming species.
The board confirmed its next meeting for Sept. 3 and then moved on to action items. The meeting adjourned later that session.
