Latest news with #ThompsonPark
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brew at the Zoo slated for Saturday
Aug. 10—WATERTOWN — You can sip some craft beer, listen to live music — and catch the exhibits at Zoo New York during this summer's first Brew at the Zoo event of the season on Saturday. The annual fundraising event in Thompson Park will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. A second Brew at the Zoo is slated from 3 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13. Tickets are $40 per person or $70 a couple. They are available at Not drinking? You'll only pay regular zoo admission. Them Blue Cats, a blues band from Pennsylvania, will be performing on Saturday night. This is an event for people over 21 years of age. Participants can taste their way through local beers, wines and spirits while exploring the zoo after hours. Fifteen vendors also will be there. Interim zoo Director Mark Irwin said Brew at the Zoo is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year. "We're having a good year," he said, adding that memberships have doubled to about 400, revenues are up 4% from the zoo's budget and attendance has increased. Donations are also up. The zoo is increasing its marketing program. For the second summer, billboards on Arsenal Street and Interstate Route 81 are advertising the zoo. An ad campaign on WWNY-TV, Channel 7, has just begun, he said. The Northern New York Community Foundation has agreed to provide matching grants for memberships and to create more active play areas for kids. The first Playscape area has been completed, with another on the way. The zoo also is offering "behind the scene" experiences for zoo-goers at a number of animal exhibits. The zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $12. Tickets available at the gate or in advance at Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zoo becomes campaign issue in Watertown City Council race
Jun. 17—WATERTOWN — The fate of Zoo New York could be decided by who wins next week's City Council primary election. The city-owned zoo in Thompson Park has become a campaign issue during the primary race and a subject of two candidate forums. Seven candidates are vying in Tuesday's primary. Councilman Cliff G. Olney III, who is not on the ballot, is running a write-in campaign. During the first candidate forum, the moderator asked candidates to raise their hands if they thought that the zoo should close. Candidates K. Colin Burns, Robert T. Schorr, Pete Monaco and Doug Osborne Jr. raised their hands. Schorr remains upset that council members added $100,000 in funding to the zoo after City Manager Eric F. Wagenaar left the money out of his proposed budget that carried a large property tax increase. "The city can't afford it," Schorr said. The Thompson Park Conservancy — the nonprofit group that runs the zoo that displays animals that are native to New York — had requested $375,000 in annual funding from both the city and Jefferson County, part of a plan that they believe would make the facility eventually profitable. Since the forum, Monaco and Osborne said the zoo's closing is more complicated than just a simple yes or no answer. They don't think the zoo necessarily needs to close now, but they won't rule out that decision in the future. "I don't think we can fork over six-figure subsidies to the zoo year after year when the city has its own financial issues," Osborne said. The city could be faced with potential 20% property tax increases and possible layoffs and reductions in city services next year, Monaco said. Instead of giving more money to the zoo, the majority of the primary candidates think that the city should explore a plan proposed by Mayor Sarah V.C. Pierce to "reimagine" the 105-year-old zoo into a nature center. She's proposing to turn Zoo New York in Thompson Park into a nature, education and community center, contending it would be a more fiscally sustainable model. Under her proposal, the nature center would mean the dismantling of large animal exhibits and transitioning the space into a low-maintenance facility. Under her plan, the main zoo building would be turned into a Thompson Park Welcome and Conservancy Center and function as a starting point for visitors. It would be patterned after the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center, a state-run facility on Wellesley Island that Pierce went to as a girl. The zoo grounds would feature enhanced outdoor recreation with a nature-based play area. The center would continue to be educational, featuring exhibits and a collection of smaller animals such as turtles, fish, snakes, amphibians and other creatures. "I think it's an excellent start," said candidate Anthony Valasquez, adding that he agrees that the zoo needs to go through a transformation because the city can no longer provide financial assistance. Burns endorses the mayor's proposal, but he would also like to see zoo facilities be turned into a visitors center where people can learn more about Thompson Park and about what the community has to offer. The city needs to investigate the costs associated with turning the zoo into a nature center and determining what it would take to staff it, Monaco said. Councilman Lisa A. Ruggiero, candidate Shane Garrabrant and Olney haven't given up on the zoo. Ruggiero said she is hearing that county legislators still might be willing to provide the zoo with funding, an amount less than the $375,000 that they voted down in May. Zoo officials should restart talks with the county about the funding, she said. Ruggiero also has lots of questions about the mayor's reimagining plan for the zoo. She believes a nature center would cost the city more than what it provides in funding for the zoo. The nature center also would not generate attendance revenues, she said. The nature center's small animals would need to be fed and cared for, as well, Ruggiero said. Monaco recalled how the county turned around the failing Watertown International Airport after taking it over from the city 20 years ago. The county could do the same for the zoo, he contended. With two young daughters, Garrabrant said he might have more interest in saving the zoo than the other candidates, who have not visited the facility for years. He and his family are zoo members who most recently went to Zoo New York on Memorial Day. "It would be a shame to lose the zoo," he said. He's pushing for the zoo and city officials to sit down for a meeting during a work session. He'd like the Conservancy to share the zoo's financial books, what grants have been applied for and which businesses have been approached for donations. The zoo needs to explain what changed over the years and why it needs more financial help, Garrabrant said. Mark D. Irwin, the zoo's interim director, pointed out that communities across the country routinely contribute more funding to their zoos. Onondaga County provides about $4 million to its Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, he said. And Zoo New York has enjoyed a successful year, with momentum continuing, Irwin said. Attendance at zoo events has increased, memberships have nearly doubled and volunteer participation is way up, he said. School buses filled with students have returned. The zoo also is doing more with marketing, he said. For the second year, the zoo will utilize billboards on Interstate 81 and Arsenal Street in an effort to attract visitors. Olney, a longtime zoo supporter, said Zoo New York needs to do everything it can with marketing. Getting the word out will increase attendance, Olney said. He has noticed more people going to Thompson Park to go to the pool, the splash pad and the golf course and the park's bandstand will get more use now that it has a roof. So he is confident in the zoo's future. "I think it's self-sustaining," Olney said. Irwin has major doubts about the success of a proposed nature center. He questioned what would happen to the 25 acres of zoo property. And turning the facility into a nature center would take a major investment by the city, he said. "It's more cost-effective to run the zoo," Irwin said. Finding new homes for the zoo's animals also would be a major undertaking. It would be easier for some animals, like the wolverine and mountain lion. However, it would be more difficult to rehome animals that were donated to the zoo or are exhibited because they are indigenous to New York, he said. The city would need to add staff to take over the responsibilities of building and grounds maintenance, he said. The zoo staff now handles those responsibilities. The new employees would work for the city Parks and Recreation Department, Burns said. The public also needs to have a chance to talk about the proposal. Exhibits would probably be demolished. If not, the city would need to maintain the buildings or they will deteriorate, Irwin said. The zoo has been a major attraction for Thompson Park for decades. Olney cannot imagine the city without Zoo New York. "The city needs the zoo," he said.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
June 14: 10th Mountain Monument re-dedication ceremony
The 10th Mountain Monument re-dedication ceremony for the Army's 250 birthday celebration & YMCA Healthy Kids Day will be held on Saturday, June 14, at 9 a.m. at Thompson Park. Activities will follow the ceremony at 10 a.m. Events Include: plaque unveiling, birthday cake cutting, army band, history displays, bounce houses, ninja course, face painting and more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zoo New York advocates urge city to include funding for facility in upcoming budget
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways May 5—WATERTOWN — Last year, Zoo New York supporters successfully lobbied the city to keep the facility at Thompson Park open. On Monday night, about a dozen volunteers, members and fans of the zoo were back in front of City Council members to convince them to keep the zoo open, urging them to include funding in the city's proposed $59.1 million budget. When he released the spending plan last month, City Manager Eric F. Wagenaar left out any money to support the zoo. About 50 people packed the third-floor council chambers on Monday night for a public hearing on the financial plan, many of them urging council members to include financial support again this year. Some of them wore bright pink, red and yellow T-shirts with the words "I Love the Zoo" on the front. Volunteer Leanne Frazee told council members that the zoo is too important for the community to lose. When she greets people at Zoo New York, Frazee always asks why they visit and where they are from. Many of the visitors are young Fort Drum families who tell her the zoo is one of the few places that they can enjoy in Watertown with their children. Just on Monday, Frazee spoke with a little girl riding in a wagon and wearing a birthday tiara. When the girl's mother finished paying admission to the zoo, Frazee learned that the family spent $125 for a family membership, rather than buying some toys for her birthday. "It's my favorite story of the week," Frazee said. Out of the nearly 20 people who spoke at the budget hearing, all but four spent their time at the podium talking up the zoo. The other four people cautioned council members that they face an 18.8% proposed tax rate increase and that they have to make some difficult decisions before they pass the budget early next month. City resident Frank Battista, who has attended budget hearings for years, said council members can't fund the zoo and the Thompson Park Golf Course because they will be a "long-term drain" on the city. "They're not going to be popular decisions, but they are decisions you have to make," he said. City resident Robert Avallone said council members will have to find $100,000 to reduce the proposed budget by 1%. That means that they'll have to cut $1.8 million to keep taxes at the same level as the current budget, he stressed. As the zoo was ready to close its doors for good last year, council agreed to appropriate $275,000 to keep it going after the community came forward to express how much the zoo meant to them. The Thompson Park Conservancy, the volunteer board that operates the zoo, says that it needs a $375,000 financial commitment from the city to keep its momentum going. The board also is requesting $375,000 from Jefferson County this year. So far, zoo board members have not heard whether the county will make the commitment. Mark D. Irwin, the zoo's interim executive director, acknowledges that maybe council members are waiting to see what the county will do. He reminded council members that 98% of the people who responded to a Jefferson Community College survey want the zoo to stay open. If it's not funded, it will be expensive to close and find homes for the animals. "We'll be left with nothing to show for it," Irwin said. Alfred L. Gianfagna remembered when then-Mayor T. Urling Walker got him and a group of people to come together 35 years ago to form the zoo. In those early days, there was no admission fee and no fence. It's the only zoo in the state, the country and the universe that is dedicated to animals native to New York state, Gianfagna said. "Did you wake up this morning thinking you could change the universe?" he asked. Mayor Sarah V.C. Pierce and three of her colleagues did not respond to the funding request on Monday night. Only Councilman Cliff G. Olney did, saying that he was impressed by the supporters' passion for the zoo.
