Site work and renovation of a recreation facility in Saint Louis, Missouri. Working plans call for the renovation of a recreation facility; and for site work for a recreation facility.

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2024/06/14/zoo-wildcare-park-safari-construction-economic.html The Saint Louis Zoo continues to make progress on construction of its $230 million WildCare Park satellite safari park in north St. Louis County, which is expected to open to visitors in 2027, and said the project will generate a massive regional economic impact in the next decade. The project is expected to generate over $660 million in economic activity across the region in the next decade, according to an economic impact report commissioned by the zoo, the nonprofit organization said Friday in a news release. The North County site is the zoo's first location beyond its original site at 1 Government Drive in Forest Park, in the city of St. Louis. The Forest Park zoo site, which will remain open with free admission, is supported by taxpayers in the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County as part of the public Zoo-Museum District. WildCare Park, which will charge admission to visitors, is supported by a sales tax approved by St. Louis County voters, and St. Louis County residents will receive free admission. The zoo acquired the 425-acre Spanish Lake site for WildCare Park in 2018 for $7.1 million from the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562. WildCare Park will consist of two parts. An outdoor safari adventure will take visitors on a safari through herds of animals roaming wild. The park also will house the Kent Family Conservation and Animal Science Center, a conservation facility designed to sustain endangered and threatened species, funded by the Jerry and Judy Kent family, said the zoo, which is led by President and CEO Dwight Scott. Zoo officials on Friday also released a new fly-through rendering video of what WildCare Park and Kent Family Conservation and Animal Science Center will look like when completed. Aerial 1 Animal barns and pasturesexpand An aerial view of animal barns and pastures at the Conservation and Animal Science Center at the Saint Louis Zoo's' WildCare Park. RAY MEIBAUM | SAINT LOUIS ZOO Although the new safari attraction will not open for at least three more years, the zoo already has moved certain live animals to the site already. The first animal born at WildCare Park, a Grevy's zebra named Roxie, arrived in April, bringing the total animals currently there to 17, the zoo said. The animals currently live in the pastures and barns at the conservation center, while the rest of the barns and pastures are under construction, according to the release. 6a Grevy's zebra Biscuit with 2 month old Roxie expand Grevy's zebra Biscuit is shown with 2-month-old Grevy's zebra foal Roxie, who was the first animal born at the Saint Louis Zoo's Wildcare Park. She weighed 96 pounds at birth. RAY MEIBAUM The zoo expects more than 250 animals to live at the property when it opens to the public in 2027, officials said. The focus at that time will be on endangered ungulates, which are hoofed mammals such as Grevy's zebra, addax, Somali wild ass, giraffe and white rhino. WildCare Park also will host kangaroos, birds and other endangered species when it opens to the public, according to the release. In the last two years, the zoo has demolished a few older buildings at the WildCare Park site, installed a fence and graded the property perimeter, restored 260 acres from golf course turf to native grasses, removed honeysuckle and other invasive plants, built barns and a utility building, and renovated the headquarters building with a new observation deck, according to the release. Aerial 3 Construction of safari barns and nutrition hubexpand An aerial view of construction work on safari barns and a nutrition hub at Saint Louis Zoo's WildCare Park. RAY MEIBAUM | SAINT LOUIS ZOO The estimated $230 million development cost is being funded by multiple sources, including the tax revenue from the Proposition Z sales tax passed by St. Louis County voters in 2018, philanthropy and external financing that includes zoo and Saint Louis Zoo Association cash reserves. To total the economic impact of the new zoo location, consultant Tourism Economics and Canopy Strategic Partners used analysis from the economic impact model IMPLAN to examine WildCare Park's estimated operational expenditures from 2021 through 2034, anticipated visitor spending on and off site from 2027 through 2034, and the project's impact on regional employment and wages, business sales and tax revenue through 2034, the zoo said. The report estimates: WildCare Park will post average attendance of 491,200 visitors annually, with about 65% of those coming from outside the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County. Those visitors will spend about $184 million at "regional businesses" outside the safari park over the next decade. The safari park will create an annual average of 384 jobs, including positions at the park itself and in the region. WildCare Park will bring in $97.3 million in government revenue, including $49.9 million in state and local tax revenues. Combined with the zoo's original site in Forest Park, both locations will create a combined economic impact of $2.5 billion over the next decade, according to a statement from Jason Hall, CEO of civic business group Greater St. Louis Inc. "The Saint Louis Zoo already averages around $200 million of economic value annually, a number enhanced by its considerable cultural impact," Hall said. "With the additional value WildCare Park brings to the metro, the Zoo will continue to act as an increasingly significant economic engine for our region." The off-site spending expected will be a boon to businesses in north St. Louis County, said Rebecca Zoll, president and CEO of North County Inc. She expected that "hospitality, retail, transportation and entertainment sectors will all get a significant boost." The zoo is already hiring for full-time positions at WildCare Park and will post job openings on its website. "We want WildCare Park to be a job creator within and beyond its gates for the region," said Sabarras George, director of WildCare Park. "As we grow, I look forward to seeing our region's businesses do the same." ______________________________ Alberici Constructors, Kwame Building Group and the Saint Louis Zoo seek bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for a project at the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park. The project consists of subcontractor scopes of work related to: 1. Procurement of electrical equipment 2. Civil and fencing work in the safari pastures 3. Motorized vertical observation tower and platform. The method of Contractor Selection has not been Determined at this time.