Hands off, kiddies — the National Zoo says it is planning on closing down its Kids’ Farm this summer because of budget cuts. But how wise is it to shut down an attraction that the zoo estimates draws 30 percent of its visitors?
That’s the question the blog Greater Greater Washington poses, along with a couple of alternate solutions. First off, here’s the statement from the zoo, which says it will relocate the farm animals to other homes this summer.
“Senior staff regrettably determined that in addition to all the other cost-saving mechanisms already put into place, the next action would require closing a public exhibit,” the Kids’ Farm website says.
But GGW notes that even though closing the Kids’ Farm would save the zoo $250,000 per year, “the zoo would also lose the food, gift and parking revenue from families that have lost their favorite exhibit.” Why? Because those who park at the zoo are generally families. And guess which attraction families like visiting at the zoo?
In 2008, parking revenue totaled roughly $2.6 million for the nonprofit, nearly $1 million more than Friends of the Zoo memberships accumulated in revenue. (FONZ members park for free.) Referring to previous reports, GGW notes that this could all be solved if the zoo instituted limits on FONZ members’ free parking benefits and tweaked the staff parking lot to allow more spaces for visitors.
Interesting that a blog that highlights public transportation and this area’s traffic congestion is talking about enhancing parking at a downtown attraction … but that just shows how desperate people are about keeping the Kids’ Farm open.
