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Village staff presents Brookfield Zoo partnership package valued at $7,500; board signals support
Summary
Village staff presented a tailored partnership with Brookfield Zoo — a $7,500-value package offered for $5,000 — providing two complimentary room reservations for community events, on-site vendor activation, 50 general-admission tickets and 25 parking passes; trustees expressed consensus support and asked staff to follow up on details.
Village staff member Libby presented a proposed partnership with Brookfield Zoo at the Committee of the Whole on Jan. 26, outlining a package the presentation described as worth about $7,500 available to the village for a $5,000 payment.
Libby said the package would include two complimentary room reservations for community events (the package breakdown noted $4,000 in waived room-rental value per room), 50 general-admission tickets and 25 parking passes usable over a 12-month period, and one on-site table-activation Saturday that could host village representatives or selected local businesses for promotional outreach. “They've tailored a specific partnership package for us,” Libby said, adding the zoo would also offer magazine and digital placements to promote village events and businesses.
Libby identified two early uses for the facilities: a primate-room graduation for the 2025 cohorts on Feb. 6 and a larger “State of the Village” presentation to be held in the zoo’s Discovery Center. She said capacity estimates are about 60 guests anticipated for the graduation, with the primate room able to hold up to 100 and the discovery center able to hold nearly 200 for larger events.
Trustees asked whether the Economic Development Commission (EDC) and local businesses had been consulted; Libby said the EDC had recommended the package as a starting point, staff had reached out to the chamber, and discussions included options for vendor tables, brochures, interactive maps, and other on-site marketing ideas. One trustee observed that the zoo partnership could give village businesses exposure to visitor markets the village has not previously reached.
The board voiced a clear consensus in favor of pursuing the partnership but took no formal vote on the package. President Garvey thanked staff and Diane (memo author) for their work and asked staff to follow up on marketing cadence, newsletter placement frequency, and the process for selecting businesses for on-site activation.
The meeting included a brief public-announcement item about a Veterans Assistance Commission of Cook County clinic on Feb. 3, 2026; after announcements the committee moved to adjourn. Trustee Kaluznick moved to adjourn, Trustee Hendricks seconded, and a roll-call vote recorded aye votes for the trustees listed by the clerk; the motion carried and the meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m.
Why it matters: the partnership would use a regional attraction to expand village promotion and provide venue access for community events; details such as marketing placements, business selection for activations and frequency of promotional listings remain to be finalized.
