Elgin's Lords Park petting zoo gets budget ax, but fight on to save it

Elgin's Lords Park petting zoo, which is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, will not open this summer as the city looks to cut costs.

"It really rubbed me raw that the zoo was going to be closed and that my kids and other families couldn't go there over the summer," said Laurie Faith Gibson-Aiello, an Elgin resident and former Mrs. Illinois United States 2008.

The petting zoo, according to the city's Web site, normally includes pigs, cows, goats, chickens, a miniature donkey, and sheep. Bison, elk, and deer live year round in the larger fenced areas and will still be there this year.

Gibson-Aiello said she's amassed 250 people, including former employees, in the last three weeks who want to save the petting zoo.

She said the city could put out donation boxes and find business sponsorships to help defray the maintenance costs. She plans to meet with city officials next week and believes the petting zoo is worth saving because it's a community amenity that all can enjoy.

"It's a free place people can go to enjoy nature and our parks," Gibson-Aiello said.

Sue Olafson, city spokeswoman, said officials are always interested in getting suggestions from residents, but the petting zoo component will be closed this summer to save about $30,000.

"We are reviewing ways to reduce expenditures right now, not increase them," she said. "It was a path we thought we should take."

Elgin, like many municipalities, is facing a sharp drop in revenue because of the recession.

The city will cut 54 jobs through layoffs, attrition, early retirement and transfers. It also raised fees, shortened service hours, scaled back festivals and shelved its July 4 fireworks.

Elgin resident Mike Surerus said activities at the zoo are a large part of the Elgin Public Museum's summer schedule and 20,000 to 25,000 people visit the petting zoo each summer.

"As a former employee (in summers 2002 through 2005), I can attest to those numbers," Surerus said. "I feel this is a huge tragedy being that the zoo has been around in one form or another over 100 years."

Olafson said city officials are hopeful they can reopen the petting zoo next summer. "Everything that has been reduced or eliminated for this year is on the table for consideration (to reinstate) in 2010," she said.