A Strategically Mastered Plan

I have received numerous e-mail messages from people concerning the fact that the Salisbury Zoo spent some $50,000.00 on a Master Plan. These funds were donated by the Hazel Family and the end result was the Zoo needed to come up with $18,200,000.00 to fulfill this dream. What you must keep in mind is the fact that these figures were just a guestimate and Jim Rapp never received hard figures as to what the thing might truly cost. To top that off, these were figures from years ago before gas prices went through the roof and similar to the Fire Department, the Zoo's figures would almost double and the cost today and would be somewhere around $34,000,000.00.

However, if you people were upset at the $50,000.00 spent on this Master Plan, how about the $65,000.00 the City just put into the Budget for the Zoo solely for a building the AZA is demanding be put in the Zoo that was NOT included in the original Master Plan. In one of the Zoo Commission Meetings Ron Alessi and Jim Rapp stated the building would cost some $2,000,000.00 alone to build and the $65,000.00 the City just put into the Zoo's budget for just this building was for, are you ready, PLANS for the $2,000,000.00 building!

That's right Taxpayers, you just forked up $65,000.00 just for plans for a building I can guarantee some other Zoo across America has that is an AZA Zoo as well. Nope, not Barrie Tilghman, Ron Alessi and Jim Rapp! They want their own designs! You'll pay $65,000.00 for them too! So you pay dues by the thousands each year into the AZA and they demand structures be built and the City agrees, (which was a smart move anyway by the AZA) and I guess Ron Alessi, (the man who thinks he own a construction company) comes up with a $65,000.00 figure to design a building?

The Master Plan is not construction designs. It's an idea and each building they come up with will I guess cost some $65,000.00 to design each and in my opinion I'd like to know where they came up with the $18,200,000.00 figure to start with? Could it have been a Ron Alessi figure? You know, the guy who again thinks he owns a construction company? Will it be his firm designing the plans and or subbing the plans out so he can pay back debts?

If I were a taxpayer in Salisbury I'd start asking some serious questions and get documented proof of the answers because I wouldn't trust these people as far as I could throw them.