Opening of The Buffalo Zoo's new entrance plaza remains on schedule for this June. WBFO's Eileen Buckley talked with Zoo president Donna Fernandes about the progress.
"Our new entrance is over halfway completed," said Fernandes.
The new location will be accessed through the zoo parking lot, making it safer then the current entrance along busy Parkside Avenue.
Fernandes tells WBFO News at this point the Zoo is trying to raise sort of the last $4.5 million for the capital campaign so work can begin immediately begin on the new polar bear exhibit once the entrance is built.
Construction is also moving forward on the new interactive water feature at the entrance.
Fernadez also reports that 2012 was a great year for zoo visits with 455,000 visitors. She says that is impressive considering the zoo did not open any new exhibits in 2012.
The Zoo leader says great weather helped. This past weekend, when it was 60 degrees in the middle of January, the Zoo was crowded.
"We had over 3,000 people here on Saturday...that's outrageous," said Fernandes.
The new $3.8 entry plaza will include a new cafe and gift shop, making entering the Zoo a nicer experience for visitors.