Aviary Set for Major $ Boost from City

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) The Tracy Aviary will likely receive a major infusion of cash next year. The Salt Lake City Council last night agreed unanimously the bird display needs a budget boost.

"The infrastructure there - it's a zoo that houses birds and it's a zoo that's so neglected that it's really, we're doing a disservice to the birds," says Council member Jill Remington Love.

She proposes increasing Tracy Aviary's annual operating budget by 250-thousand dollars a year, plus an extra one-time gift of a million dollars. In a straw poll, city council members were strongly supportive of allotting at least half a million dollars. Executive director Tim Brown says all eight acres of the Tracy Aviary need renovation, and the master plan includes new exhibits that focus on Utah habitats. To bring the Aviary up to par, Brown says the city will have to invest even more over the long-term:

"You ask yourself, do you want an aviary? If the answer is yes, do you want something mediocre that you're a little embarrassed about?" says Brown. "If you want something you're proud of, that you visit on a regular basis. If we want something we're proud of, it'll take some infusions of money."

The Aviary's 20-year master plan will require about 60-million dollars, but Brown says they will scale that back based on indications of support from the City Council. A formal vote on the money will happen by the end of June. Tracy Aviary is one of only two publicly-funded aviaries in the country.

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