Petting zoo getting makeover

The city’s petting zoo is undergoing a makeover as all the animals formerly housed there were sent to an animal sanctuary Monday, except for the chickens, Morgan City Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi said.
The petting zoo will offer another place for children in the area to visit, Grizzaffi said. The zoo had been in disrepair for years, and the city’s renovations of the facility will turn it into a “true petting zoo,” Grizzaffi said.
The zoo will have goats that will be able to graze inside the fencing, the mayor said. A couple of Dexter cows and pigs will be among other animals housed at the zoo, he said. The zoo’s nesting boxes are going to be rebuilt so children can come in and pick an egg, he said. Zoo admission will be free to the public.
Grizzaffi hopes to hold a ribbon cutting for the zoo in September, he said. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry will oversee the zoo, he said.
“Even if we’re closed, we’re going to have some animals that you can pet and feed while we’re closed through the outside,” Grizzaffi said. Feeding dispensers will allow visitors to feed animals from through the fence when the zoo is not open, Grizzaffi said.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the council approved using $30,000 out of the city’s general fund to revitalize and update the city petting zoo, Councilman Louis Tamporello said. The zoo updates include new animals, new fencing and feeding dispensers, Tamporello said.
“We feel this additional money ... will get us going. It will also take care of the future needs for some feed and vet bills and things like that,” Tamporello said.
The city has also requested $20,000 in funding from the Young Foundation, Grizzaffi said. The total of $50,000 in funding will be enough to finish the office building, get the petting zoo ready for animals and bring in the first group of animals, he said.
“We’re basically reshaping and rebuilding the entire petting zoo grounds,” Grizzaffi said.
The petting zoo upgrades is being done in five phases. The first phase consists of fixing up a building on the property to be used as an office building and public restroom facility at a cost of $9,200, Grizzaffi said.
The second phase of the project includes putting up exterior fencing around the property at a cost of about $14,600, Grizzaffi said.
Phase three consists of constructing the interior fencing, and the fourth phase would be the cement work at the site. The final phase is going to be the introduction of the animals to the facility, the mayor said.
The city had a $10,000 animal budget but recently got a donor to agree to donate animals to the zoo, Grizzaffi said. Therefore, the city will use the $10,000 for other costs associated with the petting zoo, he said. Grizzaffi had originally budgeted $59,000 for the project but is trying to complete it for less than that, he said.
The petting zoo will need volunteers to help run the zoo once it opens, the mayor said. City employee Bret Landry, who is in charge of the auditorium grounds, will continue to maintain the petting zoo.