Wonders of Wildlife re-opening date unchanged

Springfield City Council finance and administration committee members left a Dec. 2 meeting with fewer concerns about the fiscal responsibility at Wonders of Wildlife and the museum's reopening.

WOW has been closed for renovations since December 2007.

Council members voiced concerns during an Oct. 13 meeting, which resulted in the appointment of Councilman John Rush as liaison between the city and the museum during renovations.

The rehab is expected to cost $25 million and will include a connection between WOW and Bass Pro Shops. Planned features include a flooded rainforest exhibit, shark touch tank, living coral tank, butterfly aviary and nocturnal swamp. Bass Pro owner Johnny Morris donated $12 million to the renovations, and the remaining costs are funded by private donations, said Peggy Smith, acting executive director and CFO for WOW.

"I think the people of the community were eager to know what's happening at Wonders of Wildlife and when it would reopen," Rush said after sharing his findings and recommendations at the Dec. 2 meeting.

"All they knew is that two years ago, it closed," he added, noting that museum officials were very quick to respond to requests for financial information.

On Oct. 13, for example, council members requested audits for fiscal years 2007 and 2008, a 990 IRS form and the most recent financial report. Rush said those items were received in a few hours.

In the two years since closing, the museum has collected $643,296 from the city's hotel/motel tax, Smith said, noting that no tax dollars are being used in construction. In his report to the committee, Rush said he felt the tax money was being used in a way that was consistent with the city's expectations. Smith said those funds go into the museum's general operating fund, which supports administrative, animal and educational outreach program expenses.

WOW has agreed to provide regular construction and financial updates to the city, Smith added. It currently provides quarterly reports to the American National Fish and Wildlife Museum District, and Rush has asked that the same report be shared with council.

"We're getting essentially what the board of directors gets. You can't get any closer than that," Rush said.

The reports, which will be e-mailed to Rush and distributed by him to the rest of council, also will include a brief update on the construction project, he said.

Rush also is satisfied with the pace of renovation and expansion. He toured the building Oct. 26 and said old exhibits had been moved and floors were marked where new exhibits were planned.

Another promising sign, Rush noted, was a meeting Baltimore, Md.-based general contractor Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. held on Nov. 12 with local contractors and suppliers. The company is currently in the process of reviewing bids it has received for some work, such as site fencing and temporary barricades, Smith said, and is working on soliciting bids from local and regional contractors for other components of the construction.

"You don't do that unless you expect to follow through on it," Rush said.

Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Tracy Kimberlin said he's expecting the renovations at WOW will draw more visitors to the area. He said the extent of the remodeling should create a much-improved attraction.

"Just the facility being open again will draw people to Springfield. This will be a top-notch aquarium facility, once of the best in the country," he said.

As for next steps, Rush said that council could ask for more information, but he doesn't expect that to happen. He expects the recommendations he outlined will be final.

"I haven't heard anything about this going any further and I don't think it's going to," Rush said. "We asked for financial disclosure and we got it, and we wanted to know when it was going to open, and we got it."[[In-content Ad]]