Controversy Over $8M Amphitheater At Turtle Back Zoo Continues – West Orange, NJ Patch
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Essex County officials aren’t giving up on their plans to build an $8 million amphitheater near the Shores of Africa area at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange.
The project would include a 500-seat outdoor classroom with stage lighting. It would be partly funded by a $4 million special appropriation from Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration, with the remainder coming from the county’s operating budget.
The project won’t use any Green Acres funding or grants from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund, a county spokesperson told Patch on Tuesday.
Since it was first proposed, Essex County officials have made tweaks to the project based on recommendations from the West Orange Planning Board. Those include:
- Replacing any trees that are removed by a ratio of 4-to-1 (double the original proposal)
- Including “white roof” designs to conserve energy
- Incorporating a 25×25 foot rain garden adjacent to the amphitheater
The proposal no longer includes any “water features,” such as a 150,000-gallon pool for the animals, as was originally planned. County officials have also agreed to study the noise levels generated from the zoo, and to review plans with an engineer to ensure that lighting from the amphitheater won’t impact areas beyond the facility.
A public meeting on the proposed project is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the Essex County Police Academy, 250 Grove Avenue in Cedar Grove.
CRITICS: PUMP BRAKES ON ZOO SPENDING, AMPHITHEATER
The idea of spending millions of dollars to build an amphitheater at the county-run zoo has met with stiff opposition from some local residents and officials.
Adam Kraemer, a Republican who lost his bid for late Essex County Freeholder Lebby Jones’ unexpired seat last November, previously said the proposal is a misuse of tax dollars.
“This is overspending on the zoo,” Kraemer told Patch last year. “In a high-tax county with roads falling apart and a public safety need to address over 100 homicides a year, this is not a wise use of funds.”
In August, Caldwell Councilman Jonathan Lace sent a letter to Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., asking his fellow Democratic Party member to focus on tax relief instead of an $8 million proposed amphitheater at the zoo.
“No resident that has spoken to me about the proposed amphitheater believes it to be a necessity, and many are distressed over what they consider to be superfluous taxes to improve an already-amazing Turtle Back Zoo experience,” Lace wrote.
Other critics of the amphitheater proposal include local environmentalists, who have blasted the plan to cut down an acre of trees in South Mountain Reservation to build it.
“A 500-seat amphitheater is doubling down on entertainment, not education,” the Coalition to Save the South Mountain Reservation recently said about the proposal. “Putting animals on stage isn’t education, it’s old-fashioned, P.T. Barnum, circus-like theater.”
Our Green West Orange, which has been a consistent critic of expansion at the zoo, has called the project “obsolete-upon-arrival.”
“Children are not educated this way, nor can they experience the magnificence of wildlife and nature by watching trained animals on a stage,” the group charged. “Essex County greenwashes this project by calling it education or even worse, conservation. It’s a dumbing-down of their opportunity to learn. Everyone can see that this is cruel entertainment at the expense of animals who don’t want to be publicly displayed or exposed.”
A petition to halt expansion at the Turtle Back Zoo – including the proposed amphitheater – has gained almost 11,000 signatures.
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SUPPORTERS: BUILDING A ‘CONSERVATION PAVILION’
Other people have defended the amphitheater proposal, however, saying it will give a much-needed boost to the zoo’s educational mission.
An online petition started by Turtle Back Zoo docents has gained more than 1,500 signatures in favor of building the new amphitheater.
According to the docents, it would be a welcome addition to the zoo:
“Essex County Turtle Back Zoo has gone from almost being closed by a previous administration to being transformed into a popular and dynamic destination. We are dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of animals, educating the public about nature and the environment, and promoting conservation. Our commitment is demonstrated by the accreditations we have earned from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Zoological Association of America and American Humane. We are currently planning to create a new amphitheater to strengthen and expand our educational programming. It would provide a better setting for us to share the stories of our animal family and enable us to reach a larger audience than our current stage allows.”
Only about 120 children can see animal presentations at the zoo’s current amphitheater, Essex County officials said.
In a recent op-ed, DiVincenzo said the zoo has been a “self-sufficient facility” for the last decade, and that the revenue collected from admission fees covers its operating costs.
The county executive also spoke about the environmental impact the new amphitheater is expected to have in the area:
“There have been concerns about the impact the amphitheater will have on the environment. Since 2003, as the zoo has expanded from 30 to 40 acres, we have followed the stringent guidelines set by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection and the NJ Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act to address runoff and erosion. The retention basins and modern drainage systems we have installed when making improvements help reduce run off and address long-standing flooding issues that existed in South Mountain Reservation long before Turtle Back opened 56 years ago… In addition, we are estimating that about one acre of land from South Mountain Reservation will be needed for the amphitheater, which is just a small piece when considering the reservation encompasses over 2,200 acres.”
Another concern expressed about the project – an increase in local traffic – has been addressed with the recent addition of a third, on-site parking garage, DiVincenzo said.
“A second entrance for motor vehicles coming to the zoo was created, which make accessing the site easier and eliminates cars from lining up waiting to enter the site.,” DiVincenzo said. “This confirms our belief that the traffic congestion was the result of motorists being recirculated from the on-site parking back onto Northfield Avenue when all parking spaces were exhausted.”
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