SHRP Advises Engaging Community in Expansion Planning

Community needs to be part of Planning for implementing G-Minor
in Reid Park Zoo expansion (Posted July 10, 2021)

For more details on G-minor, see Bob Vint’s A Path Forward on this website.

During the May 4th, 2021, Tucson City Council meeting the following exchange between Council member Cunningham and Mayor Romero took place just after the 6-1 vote passing the G-Minor plan for the Reid Park Zoo expansion. (See minute 3:37:37 in video stream of May 4 meeting):

MR. CUNNINGHAM:  Wait, wait, that motion specifically said D-plus?
MAYOR ROMERO:  No, I'm just calling it D-plus. It is a -- it's a bit of a hybrid.
MR. CUNNINGHAM:  The way I listened to the motion was that the G-minor option is going to be considered. If that isn't being considered then I'm out.
MAYOR ROMERO:  That's what it is.  Council Member Cunningham,that's exactly what it is.

During the Call to the Audience in that same meeting, Jocelyn Muzzin, Co-Chair of the Julia Keen neighborhood Association, made a pivotal statement, including these words: “We also believe it is important that there be an ongoing opportunity for neighborhoods and park users to be involved in the design process for the zoo expansion.”

On May 13th Save the Heart of Reid Park wrote an email to Mayor and Council thanking them for approving G-Minor and saying that we look forward to participating actively in the planning process for implementing G-Minor.

On May 28th the director and various staff members of the Tucson Parks and Recreation Department gave the Co-Chair of Save the Heart of Reid Park, the Chair of the Julia Keen Neighborhood Association, architect Bob Vint and five others a tour of the storage shed area of the Reid Park parking lot, an area of the parking lot that could potentially be transformed into Reid Park Zoo. The tour gave the group an idea of the history of the sheds and insight into some of the challenges and options that exist as far as moving them in order to build the zoo expansion. The group who received the tour have written a report based on what they learned.

On June 23rd the people who had been members of what was known as the Core Stakeholders Group in the Community Conversation process received an email (followed by June 25 update) from the City Manager’s office inviting them to a meeting on July 10th in which they would “learn about and discuss the planned expansion layout.” There was no mention of who made this plan. Stream the July 10 meeting from our Videos page.

Failing to involve the community in planning the Reid Park Zoo expansion was what led to all the challenges that began in November 2020 when Tucsonans learned that the Reid Park Zoological Society had planned to destroy Barnum Hill.

Save the Heart of Reid Park and others who participated in the Core Stakeholder Group and the Dialogue Circles along with other concerned residents, wrote a letter to Mayor and Council saying that the community needs to participate in planning how G-Minor will be implemented, keeping the zoo off Reid Park green space.

Below is a transcription of the motion approved by Mayor and Council, with Steve Kozachik being the only council member who voted against it.    

Council Member Fimbres, May 4, 2021:

It is with that I would like to make the following three-part motion for consideration:

I move that Council direct staff, in the best interest of the City:

  1. Continue the suspension of the zoo expansion to allow for a new design that will have the effect of saving Barnum Hill and the South Duck Pond;

  2. Proceed with the redesign of the zoo expansion into the area north and west of the Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center with the following criteria:

  3. Minimize the use of open green space;

  4. Maximize the reuse of hardscape;

  5. Manage the additional costs to the project to be less than $5.5M;

  6. Deal with the questions of lighting, fireworks and events at Hi Corbett and the potential effects of zoo expansion; and

  7. Initiate a comprehensive update to the Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo Master Plan. [end of motion]

The motion is entirely consistent with G-Minor because a small portion of the G-Minor plan skirts the west side of the Edith Ball pool. Because the Mayor did not use the term G-Minor specifically, those supporting Option D, and members of the press, have been incorrectly saying Mayor and Council approved a D-G hybrid.

The motion was for G-Minor, and we need to make sure G-Minor is what the City Manager implements.