 Gov. Pat Quinn announced Monday that $1 million in public funds will be devoted
to improvements at Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo. The $1 million comes from part of
Quinn’s $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, billed as the largest
construction project in state history.
The $1 million in taxpayer dollars will be combined with more than $1 million in
private donations to subsidize a planned $7 million facility that will feature a
program dedicated to children with autism, capitalizing on studies that have
shown these children with special needs may be aided developmentally by
interacting with animals in a controlled environment.
The project will provide guests the opportunity to interact with animals from
the zoo’s Wild Encounters exhibit and is expected to play a role in increasing
tourism and zoo attendance.
In exchange for the state money, said Matthew Mayer, vice president of public
affairs for the Chicago Zoological Society – which manages Brookfield Zoo – the
region will reap financial rewards.
This year alone, he said the zoo is poised to generate more than $150 million in
activity in support of the regional economy while providing jobs to more than
2,000 Illinois workers – totals that include local vendors and businesses the
zoo purchases from to construction projects.
He said the attraction’s benefits are tri-fold in terms of boosting the local
economy, tourism and education.
Between 2004 and today, Mayer said $1 billion from the zoo has been funneled
into the region from general economic activity and tax revenues for local
businesses.
Meanwhile, the zoo is the most popular paid cultural attraction in the Midwest,
he said, welcoming 2 million guests per year.
“Brookfield Zoo is a potent economic engine,” he said. “Now’s the time to start
making an investment.”
Dave Roeder, director of communications at the Illinois Department of Commerce
and Economic Opportunity, said the state’s investment in Brookfield Zoo pays
dividends for the whole city.
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“The Brookfield Zoo is one of the premier zoos in the country and
one of the main tourist attractions in the state,” Roeder said.
“It’s in need of some capital investments to make some necessary
improvements and the state is stepping up in a way that will benefit
everyone.”
Roeder said the zoo brings outsiders to the city, where they spend
money and help boost the economy in ways not directly related to the
zoo itself.
“Compared to many other programs, $1 million isn’t a vast amount
of money,” he said. “To be able to use that money to help maintain
the zoo as a major destination of attraction for families in Chicago
and otherwise is a wise use of taxpayer money.”
In addition, Mayer said one of the missions of the attraction is
offering community-based opportunities. For instance, he said the
zoo provides offerings for locals with disabilities such as a
marketplace readiness program for high school students.
Those with disabilities from local campuses volunteer at the zoo
part-time and are guided by staff to advance their work, behavior
and communication skills with the hope of later landing a job in the
community.
Last year, he said the facility also offered the world’s first
zoo-based inclusion program for youngsters with autism. For the
pilot program, the zoo partnered with Joliet’s Easter Seals to allow
youth and their families to spend time with the animals on Saturdays
before the zoo opened – a program based on research showing animals
prompt autistic kids to communicate better and demonstrate more
social behaviors.
The feedback from families was positive. He said one family later
sent zoo staff a photo of their 5-year-old son – who came to the zoo
with the goal of making eye contact – a photo of the boy looking a
staffer right in the eyes. There’s now a grant pending from a
nonprofit to make the program permanent.
“It’s value added,” Mayer said. “Our impact has to extend beyond a
balance sheet.”
[This
article courtesy of
Watchdog.]
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