The Emporia Friends of the Zoo were front and center during the Emporia City Commission’s study session Wednesday.
EFOZ presented their updated master plan to commissioners which focuses on making the David Traylor Zoo both more environmentally conscientious. Zoo Director Lisa Keith says the environmental component is a vital piece of the zoo’s main mission.
To accomplish this task the zoo is planning to make animal habitats more natural and are even working to implement new environmental technology. GLMV Architecture has been working with the zoo on incorporating a bio-swell in the waterfowl exhibit. According to GLMV representative Laurie Guthridge, the bio-swell diverts stormwater runoff which carries silt and chemicals into the waterfowl pond. She explains this not only benefits the exhibit and its inhabitants but the zoo as a whole.
In addition to the master plan presentation, an update was given on the Oasis Capital Campaign benefiting improvements to the zoo. According to EFOZ, the campaign is $20,000 away from meeting its $4.3 million goal. Commissioners made a suggestion for the zoo to utilize bonds from the city to help fund the planned projects. Essentially the city of Emporia would front the funds for projects to begin and would be repaid through the money already raised by the Oasis Campaign.
EFOZ will be taking the suggestion under consideration for a later time. The master plan was last updated in 2013.
Additionally, commissioners discussed a potential salary study for the city of Emporia. Commissioner Rob Gilligan says the study would see the city hire a consulting firm which would examine all of the positions under the city’s staff plan taking a look at the positions, their requirements and where the current salary schedule is. The study would then compare those findings to equivalent positions from governmental entities and the private sector to determine where the city’s pay schedule compares.
Gilligan says there is value to that knowledge, however, he is concerned they may find “how uncompetitive Emporia is” and not have the resources to adjust. He believes a better course of action would be to do conduct the work internally and then look at a broader study at a later time.
In other business, commissioners discussed the Kansas Free For Arts Halfway to Everywhere festival, a potential project at 6th and Prairie and a location change for Live in the Lot with the Junior Worlds Jam event. An update on infrastructure projects and reviews of personnel funds and the 2019 legislative session also took place.
The Emporia City Commission will have no meeting next week. The next scheduled meeting is July 10th at 10 am.
