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Sunday, July 20, 2008
A Comment Worthy Of A Post
"I am a livelong resident of Salisbury. My family was one of the original non native american settlers. The Zoo is lousy!!!! Take the property and make it something we all can enjoy. Maybe a public golf course that "everyone" can afford, a dog park, skate park,etc. It is not making Salisbury a destination city so therefore it is a waste of taxpayer money."
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26 comments:
I am a life long resident also! But i think the zoo should stay. I have grand children that love to go to the zoo. I might be small but they love it! I dont think salisbury needs another golf course!
flood it and bring back humphreys lake.
That zoo IS NOT worth keeping. Those who should be keeping it, are not. It is a complete waste of taxpayer money.
This weekend my 25yr old grandson and his girlfriend are visiting and after spending an enjoyable day yesterday in O.C. today said, "Let's go the zoo".
Well we went and his main comment was that, "this place is really run down" and I have to agree.
The ZOO should GO. It is terrible and when my grandkids come we go ONLY to Bens Red Swings. They went to the zoo once about 2 years ago and that was enough~
Maybe things have changed in a few months, but the last time I took our grandchild to the zoo it seemed empty of the very thing we came to see ANIMALS!
If you are black you can work there, but how many black people you know that would be welcome to play golf at most of those places?
I am a 28 year old female, and must say that I LOVE the zoo. I go there about once a week. I came to Salisbury for college, and stayed. The zoo is one of the many attractions that other places don't have. The thought of not having it around is quite unpleasant. :(
With all due respect,
If I were to tell you at least 100 animals die each year at that Zoo without you knowing about it, would that change your mind?
If I told you that the Curator snaps the necks of baby squirrels and baby birds after parents bring them into the Zoo in the hopes that they'll save these babies, would that change your mind?
All that being said, would YOU considering bringing any kind of animal to the Salisbury Zoo once you know what they're capable of?
I would like to see the zoo stay. I would like to see someone who knows what they are doing take it over as a private enterprise, maybe as a philanthropic endeavor. Charge a SMALL admission, if need be. Restore it, raise the level of the exhibits so they don't flood, killing off animals. Get new animals, and make it the lovely place it was 30+ years ago, before this mayor and Alessi let it go to hell. I only wish I had the money or business contacts to do it myself, but I don't live there, only visit often from a long way off.
The Zoo is costing the taxpayers of Salisbury $1,400,000.00 a year, or close to it. Two years ago the Zoo only cost the taxpayers $300,000.00 a year!!!!!
What you want and what they're gonna get when a new Mayor comes on board is a whole different thing.
Face it, Rapp and Alessi really screwed up athat Zoo and it will cost millions to get it back to normal.
Why would they do those things? Is all of that because of a lack of money? Or just the leadership?
Well, let's see. They went from $300,000.00 a year to $1,400,000.00 a year, so it's NOT the money. Their leadership under Ron Alessi and Jim Rapp SUCKED!
I truly hope Joel turns things around but IMHO I believe things are too far gone to do so. With the economy the way it is, I believe Alessi and Mayor Tilghman lied to Joel about what they're willing to do and he'll move on just as soon as he can find another position elsewhere.
The Zoo is on its last legs and unless you want to put up the $36,000,000.00 they'll need to rebuild it, things will pretty much stay the same.
I still want to know what is the new zoo Director doing about all this controversy. I haven't heard a thing from him since he came on board, what several weeks ago. Or does he just hide out in the admin. bldg. like Rapp did? If he walks around the zoo, he would surely be upset about its condition and begin (at least) to correct all thats bad down there, ande there is plenty that needs attention.
A. Goetz
Joe, your 7:45 and 8:06 posts said it all. That is why it needs to be taken over by private enterprise. The RIVER of money flowing to it from the city is obscene considering how little is being done to restore the zoo or improve the quality of life for the animals. It may have to be shut down if more animals die. Sad.
We love the zoo. We go frequently.
All zoos have trouble. Even the National Zoo had a serious spate of deaths. You don't hear people calling to close the National Zoo.
BTW, a $1.4M budget for the zoo is modest. Most zoos have budgets MUCH MUCH larger than that. What planet do you come from when a zoo budget of $1.4M is considered excessive????
Bernard,
You're missing the point, respectfully.
The Zoo was running better when it was only costing the taxpayers $300,000.00. The Zoo Commission has OBVIOUSLY failed the Taxpayers as they are designed to RAISE FUNDS to help support the Zoo.
What will be damn interesting is the reports of funds collected at the gates and donations this year verses years past. This goes for the Night of the Living Zoo event as well.
The Zoo looks like crap, period. Alessi spent so many years calling it a gem and the Mayor ran arouns for 10 years saying it was one of the top 10 Zoo's in America, when that statement was actually said back in 1976! It hasn't been close since.
Taxpayers should also know that the AZA only gave them their accredidation because they wanted to attract other small Zoo's. Ask ANYONE who works at a AZA Zoo and they'll swear on their life the Salisbury Zoo should be shut down.
That being said, I have NOT at all stated they should be shut down. I have stated the Alessi needs to go, period! The Mayor needs to get her hands out of it because she has LIED to everyone about the true state that Zoo is in. The Daily Times has also not fully exposed all of the information the last AZA Inspection stated. Instead they simply said the AZA left a "laundry list" of things to repair and replace.
Some commenters have stated it should be closed and quite frankly, for the first time, I have to agree. The Zoo is in a horrible location and quite frankly the MDE will be shutting them down once they have 10 years of test results on the water in the river at the Zoo. That's another long story but once they see the results they're going to shut it down and that's for real.
Well. You get what you pay for.
Frankly, I think that Salisbury will be that much more of a sorry city without a zoo.
Hey! While you're at it, why not try to raise some money by selling all the city parks and playgrounds too??? Most of them look rather threadbare too...
It seems to me that you're missing the point (stated with a modicum of respect).
"Bernard said...
Well. You get what you pay for."
You get what you pay for? The Zoo is FREE?
"Frankly, I think that Salisbury will be that much more of a sorry city without a zoo."
Really? Would you mind explaining that in more detail? The Zoo is now costing the taxpayers an additional million dollars a year because of poor management and with the economy as bad as it is, I can't see your statement being acceptable. Besides Bernard, NOW MANY ANIMALS HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THAT PLACE IS SHUT DOWN? IT SHOULD BE ABOUT THE ANIMALS, SHOULDN'T IT?
"Hey! While you're at it, why not try to raise some money by selling all the city parks and playgrounds too??? Most of them look rather threadbare too..."
It seems to me the City Parks and Playgrounds are a success and don't cost taxpayers thousands upon thousands of dollars to feed.
"It seems to me that you're missing the point (stated with a modicum of respect)."
No Bernard, I think YOU"RE missing the point, respectfully. 5 yeas ago the Zoo had 500 animals in their inventory. Now they have what, 100 to 150, after buying more and more animals to build back their inventory.
Oh, I should finish with, I'm glad you're not the Mayor because your business sense sucks, respectfully.
"You get what you pay for? The Zoo is FREE?"
No it isn't. I costs $1.4M/year. That's not free where I come from.
"IT SHOULD BE ABOUT THE ANIMALS, SHOULDN'T IT?"
Uhh. No. Zoos are mostly for the people. The animals (for the most part) would be better off in the wild.
"It seems to me the City Parks and Playgrounds are a success and don't cost taxpayers thousands upon thousands of dollars to feed."
Sure they do. Look at the budget. And convert them to tax paying properties, and you'll find that the parks hidden costs are in the millions. Far more than the zoo, in fact. Why do you think that Bob Ehrlich wanted to sell river front state park property??
"No Bernard, I think YOU"RE missing the point, respectfully. 5 yeas ago the Zoo had 500 animals in their inventory. Now they have what, 100 to 150, after buying more and more animals to build back their inventory."
I see those numbers and say "More help for the animals", you see them and say "Kill the zoo". I think that summarizes the difference between a conservative and a liberal in a nutshell.
You apparently see the zoo as a business or sorts, and I see it something that should be a source of civic pride.
9:38 PM
joealbero said...
"Oh, I should finish with, I'm glad you're not the Mayor because your business sense sucks, respectfully."
And I'm glad you're not the mayor, since running a city is NOT a business. If you just want to look at the bottom line, you'll end up with a city that's really sucks. Like I said, you get what you pay for.
I lived lived in Salisbury for the first 22 years of my life. Now as a parent when I come to visit we go to the zoo all the time. While I agree there seem to be some major issues I don't think it should go away. It really is a great family place that much larger cities do not have.
The zoo should go period. Quit costing the taxpayers of this city so damn much money to keep Alessi. Probably the ones that want to keep the zoo, don't live in the city limits or perhaps even in the county. They want to keep the zoo, charge them every time they go in then we'll see how long the zoo stays there.
The ZOO is just another typical example of what the city can screw up. Do yourselves a favor and go to the Marina and get out of your vehicle and take a good look throughout. You will be sick to your stomach with the shape of which it has been maintained. Just as the Zoo it's on it's on it's last leg.
BTW~ Can you please reveal your sources for how you know all these awful things happening at the zoo? Snapping babies necks, and so forth??
First of all, I don't reveal my sources, nice try. However, SUE ME and I'd be happy to expose the information of facts. Look, if I'm willing to go public with such information and I was wrong, I could easily be sued and that hasn't happened because those involved already know we have it documented and on record.
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