Photo: Kyle Bray/WBZ NewsRadio
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Attleboro Mayor Cathleen DeSimone held a contentious press conference Wednesday over the city's plan for Capron Park Zoo.
Under the plan, the zoo would transform over several years into the Capron Park Zoo Nature Reserve & Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
"The zoo will operate as usual through Sept. 7," the city said in a press release. "After that, the zoo will remain open and free to the public on select weekends in September and October. Over time, the site will gradually transform from traditional animal exhibits to wildlife rehabilitation, natural play spaces, gardens, and other outdoor recreation areas.
Healthy animals would be relocated to "accredited zoos, sanctuaries, or nature reserves," while animals that are too old or unable to travel "will remain on site and be cared for by staff but not publicly displayed," the press release added.
DeSimone noted during Wednesday's press conference that the zoo is too expensive to maintain under the city's current budget, pointing to $57 million needed for long-term capital improvement projects.
"The message was very, very clearly and repeatedly in last year’s budget, that it is not sustainable and decisions have to be made," DeSimone said. "This is a long game. It’s a long game. The problem can’t be solved in one day. It’s a process to get us into a different and better place that’s more sustainable."
A group of residents gathered alongside the press conference expressed their unhappiness with the plan, accusing the mayor of giving up on what they see as an important part of the city and a key economic driver.
United Regional Chamber of Commerce president Jack Lank said the zoo brought in nearly 200,000 visitors over the last two years.
"People need milk and bread on the way home. They come to get something to eat while they’re here. They go and visit some of the other spots that are here in Attleboro. Closing the zoo is going to be disastrous to the city of Attleboro," Lank said.
"Why haven’t we looked into an override?" asked former city councilor and business owner Nicholas Lavoie. "We just spent $800,000 on carpets in a library. Granted, they’re beautiful, I love the library, it’s needed. But the zoo is just as much about education for the children as a library is."
WBZ's Kyle Bray reports.