Stone Zoo fights for funding
Published on December 19th, 2001
STONEHAM, MA - Zoo officials roared into action to restore funding after the state slashed Zoo New England’s 2002 appropriation by 25 percent.
Zoo New England is the not-for-profit parent company formed by the state in 1992 to run the Stone Zoo in Stoneham and the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston.
The fiscal 2002 state budget passed earlier this month gives the zoos $1.5 million less than last year — and the four previous years. The battleground is now the supplemental budget debate.
Zoo New England has received around $6 million for the past five years and was anticipating the same in 2002 before the economy began to weaken. Zoo New England President Brian Rutledge said the proposed reduction in state funding would force him to lay off around 30 full-time staffers as well as most summer help.
Besides the $6 million a year from the state, the zoos raise around $2 million to provide $11 million in services, according to Rutledge. This past year more than 500,000 people visited the two zoos. Last weekend 7,000 people walked through the Stone Zoo on Pond Street.
“I knew we would face a cut, but I expected $500,000 at most,” Rutledge said.
Over the past five years 22 new exhibits have been added to the zoos along with a curriculum of conservation education. To maintain the level of service Rutledge wants, and says the community deserves, he is moving on two fronts.
“We are asking our private donors to help, and we are talking to our legislators to see what they can do,” Rutledge said.
Rutledge hopes that the zoos’ generous private donors will be even more generous this year. His staff will fund-raise aggressively. And he said he is confident that State Senator Richard Tisei (R-Wakefield) will do all he can to help.
Tisei said he is trying to get money for the zoo in a supplemental budget. He also credited Rep. Paul Casey (D-Winchester) with working toward that goal. But Tisei could not make any guarantees.
“Paul and I will make it a top priority, but we need help from the Boston legislators,” Tisei said.
Tisei criticized the way the budget process has gone under Finneran’s leadership.
“No one ever consulted the zoos or the local legislators about the cuts,” Tisei said. “That’s the kind of thing that convinced me to vote against the original budget.”
The fight for funding continues at the State House this week.
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