Riverside Discovery Center updates Scottsbluff City Council
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (KNEP) - Representatives from Riverside Discovery Center met with Scottsbluff City Council to give an update on their progress as they receive funding from the city. Riverside and the city of Scottsbluff are in a five year agreement where the city funds the $300,000 per year to assist with daily operations. The zoo attracts many people from different states.
“We look at things like zip-codes where people are visiting from,” said Anthony Mason Executive Director Riverside Discovery Center. “What portion of that is from inside the city of Scottsbluff? What portions are from places like Wyoming or Colorado or other parts of Scottsbluff County or the city of Gering? It gives just kind of a nice breakdown of what’s going on where people are visiting from how it’s impacting tourism.”
“We really try to look at their books to see where they’re at,” said Jordan Colwell Scottsbluff City Councilman. “We also have Councilman Green he serves as an member on their board. He’ll go to them and give us monthly updates but we really want to see what they’ve done throughout the whole year and where they’re going forward.”
After the initial funding from the city the zoo received generous donations from local businesses and other municipalities.
“We’ve got our new bear exhibit here that we just opened this year,” said Mason. “This is one of the biggest projects that we have done in a long time. The funding for this comes from various sources not directly from the city but from donations and from a partnership with USDA and the city of Gering.”
“The city has always tried to be a proponent of approving funding to support the zoo because it’s our diamond in the rough,” said Colwell. “There are a lot of folks that come here from other areas and it’s an activity for our kids to do. I remember as a kid coming from Alliance fifty miles away coming here and going to the zoo and going to the monument then we’d have lunch somewhere in town.”
