Upon completion, the Discovery Pavilion comprising about 9,500 square feet, will provide indoor space for zoo education programs and community needs. Two classrooms will be combined into space for 122, five times the zoo’s current capacity. It will also include a gallery, which will feature educational exhibits, and a media library to offer resource materials for teachers.
The new facility will accommodate the zoo’s animal kitchen, which is open to the public. It will also feature offices for adult and teen volunteers, and for conservation, education and keeper staff. It will be accessible and ADA compliant.
The ground was broken for the facility on 30 August 2012. Construction will begin after Labor Day and last about 14 months.
Zoo education programs reach more than 40,000 students each year, including 4,000 Title 1 schools. More than 250,000 children, teens and adults participate in formal and informal zoo education offerings.
