Columbus Zoo board silent on indictments, but OKs starting $35M North America region upgrade
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium board members made no mention during their meeting Wednesday of the indictment of three of its former executives for theft and other felony charges two days earlier, proceeding with business as usual.
The board did, however, approve moving ahead on a $35-million construction project to redevelop and update the zoo's North America region, which is its second-largest region and the oldest at nearly 40 years. Some of the animals on exhibit there include bison, moose, reindeer, and trumpeter swans. The region also features a wetlands area and an aviary featuring dozens of species of birds.
In addition to animals, the North America region sponsored by Nationwide includes the seasonal train ride that circles the region and travels past the open plains exhibits, the Bob Evans My Barn farm animal petting area, and the seasonal pony and camel rides.
The $35 million in improvements will include new habitats for gray wolf, bald eagle, black bear, North American river otter, and Canada lynx.
Tom Schmid, zoo president and CEO, said the zoo has raised about $26.5 million of the $35 million funds needed for the North America region improvements, and fundraising is continuing.
The North America region work is part of a total $50 million in improvements planned over the next two years that the zoo announced in March.
In other action, the board approved one vacancy set to occur on the board as it moves to reduce its size as part of a memorandum of understanding agreement reached earlier this year with Franklin County and the city of Columbus.
The agreement does away with the zoo's two-board system in favor of one nonprofit board. The board is allowed up to 19 members, including four members each appointed by the city of Columbus and Franklin County.
After the meeting, Schmid told The Dispatch the zoo board would be reduced to 19 members by January, as required by the agreement, with "four or five" members ending their second three-year terms by that time and one resulting vacancy being filled.
On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced a Delaware County grand jury had issued a 90-count indictment against three former Columbus Zoo and Aquarium executives: Thomas E. Stalf, former CEO; Peter A. Fingerhut, former marketing director, and Gregory A. Bell, former chief financial officer.
Yost said the executives "extorted, conspired, bribed and stole" zoo funds while colluding with each other before a 2021 Dispatch investigation uncovered wrongdoing by the executives. The group is responsible for more than $2.2 million in lost funds, he said.
In an interview with The Dispatch, Schmid thanked the attorney general and his office for their work in investigating the wrongdoing, and said he was excited for the future of the zoo.
The zoo's agreement with the city and the county also includes tighter financial controls over zoo spending of countywide levy money in the wake of the scandal involving its former executives.
During the meeting, the board's levy review committee announced the approval of a $7.7 million reimbursement payment for zoo expenditures and heard that the results of a 2022 financial audit review were positive.
tmoorman@dispatch.com
@taijuannichole
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Zoo board okays starting $35M upgrade of North America region
