The following is the opinion and analysis of the writers:
Imagine that you want to build a better home for your family. For years, you stick to your budget, you carefully plan where it will go and how you’ll pay for it, you get the permits, you even tell your neighbors.
And you shell out money to architects, the builder and others who’ll make your dream a reality.
Suddenly, just weeks before the first shovel hits the dirt, someone walks up and yells, “No, I don’t like it. You shouldn’t be allowed to build it.”
That’s where Reid Park Zoo finds itself today – and where $2 million of your already spent taxpayer dollars would be wasted if a few naysayers have their way.
The zoo is just days away from beginning work on its fully approved improvement, Pathway to Asia.
Pathway to Asia will be located on 3.5 acres of Reid Park’s 131 acres. It will encompass an existing artificial pond and an artificial hill. This project has been in progress for three years and was shared in 100 presentations of the zoo’s master plan.
It was detailed in seven public meetings and discussed at two mayor and council study sessions prior to approval at a publicly held mayor and council meeting. There was also an open house widely advertised to park users and neighborhood groups.
When complete, Pathway to Asia will be a world-class asset and place of wonder for our entire community, including 20,000 school children who visit the zoo free each year.
It is simply irresponsible for a tiny group to suggest this project be halted now.
We want to tell you the consequences of stopping or changing location at this late date. Revising this project isn’t a matter of grabbing an eraser and redrawing a few boxes. Starting over would mean millions of dollars in costs to taxpayers to redesign. This is in addition to the $2 million already spent. This small group of opponents wants to decide, on your behalf, more taxes for you to pay.
Tucson has been here before. Other major projects have seen millions of taxpayer dollars spent designing and planning new facilities, only to see that money lost when the projects were derailed.
More than 1 million people live in Pima County; over half a million in Tucson. A fair public vote passed the tax increase making this project possible. In a functional democracy, a very tiny minority of voters simply can’t demand a different outcome based on their personal agenda.
We have a forward-thinking zoo — one of the best in the nation. It followed all the rules and in fact exceeded them. Together with our partner, the city of Tucson, Reid Park Zoo has gone above and beyond to make this project perfectly fit the area. And, working together, we’ve found solutions for cleaner water and healthy improvements to the larger North Pond, a popular space for people and wildlife alike.
In fact, here’s a suggestion. Ideas have been proposed by the city to create a riparian area in the park with new features that provide clean, healthy, natural areas available to all. Perhaps the obstructionists could join that discussion now, as the city has offered, and take advantage of the opportunity to provide constructive input.
We stand with Tucson’s devoted city staff and elected public servants. We know firsthand their passion for Tucson; that they have our city’s best interest at heart. We are appalled that they are being subjected to unacceptable abuse by an angry few trying to subvert our democratic processes.
We have faith that our hardworking elected officials, city employees and zoo leaders will stand firm knowing that their decision-making system worked transparently — exactly as it was designed to do.
As spring begins to bloom, we look forward to beginning our amazing Pathway to Asia.
