Annual report of the Board of Park Commissioners (1997)

              Children's Zoo
• The Fort WaYne Children's Zoo is
guided by a strong mission and a vision'
for the future.
Mission
. To help people develop a better ap­,
preciation for animals,
to encourage family fun in 3 Iiatural
setting,
To help save the world's ~ild ani~
~als and wild places. .
Vision
Fort Wayne Children's Zoo will be
the nation's best zoo for childre~, the
region's premier family attraction, and
the community's primary resource for
wildlife conservation and edu~tion.
'Zoo' Attendance Over
Half Million '
Zoo attendance reached over one­half
million for the second year in a row
with' 522,136 visitors passing through
the gates during the 1997 season. The
per capita attendance at 'the Children's
Zoo ranks fourth in the nation 'accord­ing
to a study of the nation's 54 largest
zoos (Mark Reed, Sedgewick County
Zoo, Wichita, Kansas). Membership in
the Zoological Society reached 10,206
by yearend.
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Visitor Services
Zoo guests expect and deserve com - '
fortable and appealing amenities. The
following improvements to visitor
service facilities, policies and proce­dures
were initiated in 1997 to ensure -
exemplary customer service:
• A temporary parking lot east of
Sherman street added 305 visitor
parking spaces at a cost of approxi-mately
$25,000. .
• New procedures at the admission -
gate now ailow for convenient
credit card purc~ases of Society
memberships and have reduced the
number of unpaid entries. Zoologi­cal
Society members must show a
photo ID and alll visitors must show
their receipt at the gate.
• Aramark, the contract concession­aire,
'installed new cash registers in .
;til concession stands and added
. four new remote foodlbeverage
service carts to its operation.
• A new roofed storage area was con­structed
to house the additional
strollers and wagons purchased this
season. All old strollers and wagons
repainted and repaired.
Renovations and
Improvements
With many small improvements
every year, the standard of excellence
at the zoo continually rises Many exist­ing
'attractions were affected by the
zoo's ambitious program of renova­tion.
Australian Adventure
• All new exhibits, .specimens and
graphics were installed in the south
gallery of the Great Barrier Reef
Aquarium. (Cost: approximately
$35,000)
• A new exhibit was added for the
Tiger Quolls in the ~ustralia Wel­come
Center.
• Flagstone rockwork was added
along the path to the'Au'stralian Ad­venture
entrance to better direct
visitors into the Welcome Center.
• Two large ficus trees were installed
in the Welcome Center, replacing
an outdated computer game and
continental drift graphic. Recessed
grow-lights were installed in the
ceiling above the plants. .
. • A decorative deck and fence were
added to the swagman area in the
Australia Welcome Center. .
• The Aquarium entry doors were re­versed
to match the other doors in
the Australian Adventure and to
comply witli fire safety code. The
Aquarium and Welcome Center
doors were painted in a new color
scheme.
• Telephone service was added to the
Australia work area and Matilda's
concession stand.
• Major 'repairs were made to ' the
boat ride in an effort to minimize
water loss. (Cost: approximately
$10,000)
African Veldt
.• 1997's new zoo attraction was the
. ~ Warthog exhibit, designed and con­structed
for approximately
$80,000.
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