Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.For now, Rosenblatt Stadium will remain on its hill, a silent guardian overlooking the bustle going on at the Henry Doorly Zoo.
Construction on new areas already has started in some parts of the Omaha zoo as the state's busiest tourist attraction embarks on a $174 million plan to remake itself.
Visitors can expect the construction to last for the next 10 to 15 years.
Zoo officials held a press conference Thursday to outline their plans.
"Our zoo is a precious asset and an important part of our community," said Calvin Sisson, executive director of the Omaha Zoo Foundation.
Dennis Pate, director and CEO of the zoo, said there is no rush to tear down Rosenblatt. The zoo will take over ownership in June.
Pate said he's just happy, for now, not to have to share parking with College World Series and Royals fans in spring and summer.
He doesn't see the stadium coming down until late next year. Most of the stadium's furnishings — seats, scoreboard, press box — are untouched. The zoo will inventory what's there, and eventually Rosenblatt fans will be able to buy some of it in a sale or auction.
Revenue from the sale of Rosenblatt memorabilia will go toward the roughly $3 million needed to raze the ballpark.
But the changes to the zoo itself are going to become more noticeable, especially after the peak summer season.
Initial projects include a new entrance area, parking, new seating plazas and landscaping.
Work also has started on a new conference center that will be attached to a renovated Scott Aquarium.
The first order of business is re-imagining the zoo's front door to be more welcoming to guests, Pate said. “We'll have a new first impression, which has lagged behind in the past,” he said.
The current gate and guest services areas aren't visitor-friendly, he said. The new “Gateway to the Wild” will change that.
A new, tree-lined boulevard will lead from 13th Street to the parking areas and an enlarged plaza just outside the entrance gate — work that could begin as early as this fall.
The plaza will cover part of what is now 10th Street, which eventually will be closed in front of the zoo. The plaza will have a Missouri River/Nebraska theme, with native trees and plants in landscaping that resembles river sandbars.
The entrance gate will be separate from the ticketing area so season pass holders can move right into the zoo without waiting for one-time visitors who are purchasing tickets.
Buses will unload in a separate area that won't tie up traffic.
The Main Street Plaza inside the entrance gate will be designed as a comfortable place for people to gather to decide which direction they want to go in the zoo.
The iconic Lion's Pride sculpture will be moved and turned to face west, so it greets visitors. A new starfish fountain will line up with the entrance to the Scott Aquarium. Those features will have seating areas built of limestone, which will be used throughout the zoo in landscaping.
One of the first things visitors can enjoy will be the Omaha Steaks Outdoor Grill built next to the Lied Jungle, facing the entrance plaza. This 240-seat area is scheduled to open April 29.
The walls will go up soon on the new conference center that will be attached to the west side of Scott Aquarium. The center will be able to seat at least 380 people. The space can be used for conferences, teaching classes and social gatherings. An added attraction will be an aquarium wall.
Pate said three weddings, a class reunion and a conference already have booked the space, even though it won't open until next spring.
“It will be a place to generate revenue,” he said. “More and more zoos are doing this.”
The aquarium also will go through a major renovation. Some planned exhibits include a 15-foot “touch tank” where children can touch marine life, bigger aquarium exhibits and new species of sea life, fewer stairs by the penguin exhibit, kids-only zones and a play area, and a reconfigured gift shop and exit.
Pate said some of the improvements were in the original aquarium plans, but money ran out before they could be completed. “The aquarium is 17 years old. Some of it has just worn out,” Pate said.
All the Scott Aquarium improvements are going to take some time. The building will close on Oct. 3 and won't open again until March 2012.
Pate is excited about the changes, and he thinks visitors will be, too. “Nobody in the Midwest has anything like this.”
The timetable for completing Phase 1 will depend on fundraising, but the work is expected to be finished sometime in 2013.
Calvin Sisson, executive director of the Omaha Zoo Foundation, said $22 million, or two-thirds of the goal, has been committed toward the campaign.
“The zoo has a legacy of strong community support, and we are grateful for the gifts and pledges that have been made by individuals, corporations and foundations,” Sisson said.
Pate said between $10 million and $11 million is still needed. If the fundraising goes well, the work could go faster. “Timing is tricky,” Pate said.
The Main Street phase of the plan is important, Pate said, because it's the front door to the zoo envisioned in the master plan.
The zoo eventually plans to redistribute animal exhibits according to their continents of origin, eliminating exhibits such as the Cat Complex and Bear Canyon.
“We don't want to start work on other parts of the zoo before the entry is taken care of.”
Pate said this summer will be intentionally quiet in terms of guest disruption.
Watch the news conference:
But, after that, visitors should put on their patience hats. For the foreseeable future, guests will encounter construction and exhibit shutdowns.
Contact the writer: 402-444-1067, carol.bicak@owh.com
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