OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden Advisory Board Meeting - May 12, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodyEvansville, Indiana
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 19:03

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good afternoon.

0:02

Welcome to the May meeting of the Mesker Park Zoom Botanic Garden Advisory Board.

0:07

I have to call the meeting to order.

0:10

First up is the minutes from the April meeting.

0:14

Excuse me.

0:15

Do we have any additions, edits, changes to those minutes?

0:24

All those in favor of accepting the minutes as is, say aye.

0:28

Any opposed?

0:30

Any abstentions?

0:32

Minutes are hereby accepted.

0:34

Moving along to the report by Director Beck.

0:39

Good afternoon.

0:42

It is springtime, so a lot happening, a lot to update on.

0:45

First on the attendance and revenue report.

0:48

You can see I think we have is April on here too.

0:54

Yeah, April's on here too.

0:55

So 25,371 people in April, which is uh real close to a record April for us.

1:02

On this sheet, March was a record March.

1:05

So we're already at 60,000 visitors for the year.

1:08

Um so it's been a really strong spring so far.

1:12

Um revenue on the revenue side.

1:15

Uh this is just uh our gross revenue through the city.

1:18

Uh so $235,000 for the month of April and 476,000 uh so far here to date.

1:27

Um so again, a strong, strong start to the spring.

1:30

Uh gift shop is still uh going really well.

1:34

We did $54,000 in sales in April.

1:39

Uh looks like our record was way back in 2023 of $61,000.

1:45

So it was better than the last year, but kind of almost on track of where we were in 2024.

1:53

If you remember, last year was kind of a dip for us as far as attendance and revenue.

1:57

So it is good to see it back on track, so to speak.

2:02

And then our uh concessionaire venue works.

2:04

Uh, they report um their gross sales, which is lagging a little bit behind.

2:09

So their most recent report I guess is February.

2:12

Uh so we'll get those from them sooner than later.

2:17

Um, some staffing updates.

2:18

Uh we are still in dire need of an animal curator.

2:22

We've been looking for one for better part of oh boy, four or five months.

2:28

Um, and we're still have a vacancy right now, so we're kind of uh re-looking at our strategy.

2:33

We've had it posted kind of all over and um just not having any luck getting it filled.

2:39

Um, other staffing news, we do have summer camp counselors and education part-timers, which are year-round that are currently open and on the city website for applications.

2:53

So if you know anyone in the education field looking for year-round part-time work or summer camp work, a lot of school teachers uh come and work for us in the summertime to do summer camps, so still trying to fill those roles.

3:07

Um as far as animal updates, uh spring, like I said, has been a busy time.

3:13

So the budgies have been out for a little bit now.

3:16

It got finally got warm enough for them to go out.

3:19

We've changed their feeding strategy this year.

3:21

Thank you to Stephanie Sanderson, and uh they're doing really well on the new food.

3:26

Uh African tortoises are Sulcata tortoises are getting ready to go out, I think this week.

3:32

Um the giants will probably wait a little bit longer.

3:35

They're not as easy to move if we get a cold snap for a night or two.

3:39

So we wait till usually around Memorial Day weekend to put the big ones out or the bigger ones.

3:45

Um, the cicadas are pretty big too.

3:48

Uh we do have a couple penguin chicks that are uh we debuted one on our uh social media this morning.

3:54

That's Dale the penguin.

3:56

Uh he's still behind the scenes learning how to swim and getting his adult feathers, but we have I think at least one chick that is still being raised by parents, so that they're actually doing really well.

4:08

Um but that happens kind of behind the scenes before they go out on exhibit with the big pool and the group.

4:15

Uh we had an African crested porcupine born, and I believe that was in April, a porcupette, and we've been doing a lot of shipments.

4:24

So we um acquired a little gecko.

4:29

Um we shipped out a kuka burra today, going down south to New Orleans or Louisiana.

4:35

Uh Tacken went to Ohio and uh Camel went to Ohio.

4:39

Um and then we're picking up a Jaguar tomorrow or Thursday and bringing it back from Louisiana.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████████████92%
Engineering And Infrastructure████8%
Summary of Proceedings

Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden Advisory Board Meeting - May 12, 2026

The Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden Advisory Board held its monthly meeting on May 12, 2026, at 6:15 PM. The board unanimously approved April meeting minutes, received a comprehensive update from Director Beck on attendance, revenue, staffing, animal collection, and upcoming events, and approved four new business items related to capital improvements and pricing.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes from April 2026 meeting: Accepted as presented with no changes, additions, or edits. Approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Director’s Report (Spring Update):
    • Attendance & Revenue: 25,371 visitors in April (near a record for that month); March set a record. Year-to-date attendance reached 60,000. Gross revenue via the city was $235,000 for April and $476,000 year-to-date. Gift shop sales in April totaled $54,000 (record of $61,000 in 2023). Concessionaire (Venue Works) sales data for February is still pending.
    • Staffing: The zoo remains in “dire need” of an animal curator after 4-5 months of searching with no success; strategy is being re-evaluated. Openings for summer camp counselors and year-round part-time education positions are posted on the city website.
    • Animal Updates: Budgies are out and thriving on a new feeding strategy thanks to Stephanie Sanderson. Sulcata tortoises are being moved out this week; giant tortoises will wait until around Memorial Day. Penguin chicks (including one named Dale) are learning to swim behind the scenes. An African crested porcupine (porcupette) was born in April. Shipments include a kookaburra to Louisiana, a takin to Ohio, and acquisition of a female jaguar from Louisiana, to be picked up on May 13 or 14.
    • Upcoming Events:
      • Member Appreciation Night: May 27, 5:30–7:30 PM (after zoo closes at 5 PM). Features food trucks, live music, behind-the-scenes tours, gardening activities, free giraffe feedings and carousel rides.
      • Zoobrew: June 13 (afternoon), presented by Heritage Federal Credit Union. New partnership with Leisure Distributors (Big Green Egg grills) includes raffles and cooking demos. Capacity increased to ~800; tickets go live by May 14 noon. Theme: “Tropical Takeover” (Jimmy Buffett). Non-alcoholic options available.
      • Wild Summer Lights: Opens July 30, tickets on sale July 1. Runs through October 4, four nights per week (11 added nights). New Africa-themed lantern show created with Tianyu Arts & Culture. Live music and food trucks each night.
      • Vintage Vines Gala: August 22 at Evansville Country Club; invitations mailed around July 1.
  • New Business – Requests to Seek Quotes:
    • Paving & Path Improvements: Annual repair of asphalt and concrete paths. Quotes to be opened at the May 20 parks board meeting. Approved unanimously.
    • Fencing & Containment Improvements: Annual capital project focusing on older fences, especially in Asian Valley (wood fencing from the 1980s). Approved unanimously.
    • Painting & EIFS Projects: Rusted steel structures (tiger area, Amazonia), peeling/faded stucco facade, and other painting needs. Approved unanimously.
  • Birthday Party Package Price Increase:
    • Guest Services Manager Stephanie Sanderson proposed a $20 increase per package for both member and non-member rates (less than 10% increase, first in 5 years). Packages include 2-hour party, admission for 20 guests, private room, host, carousel rides, and tram service. Add-ons (e.g., animal feedings) unchanged. Approximately 75 parties per year ($15,000 in 2025). Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • April 2026 minutes accepted.
  • Authorized staff to seek quotes for paving and path repairs.
  • Authorized staff to seek quotes for fencing and containment improvements.
  • Authorized staff to seek quotes for painting and EIFS projects.
  • Approved a $20 increase to birthday party package prices for both member and non-member rates.
  • Meeting adjourned; next regular meeting scheduled for June 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. Welcome to the May meeting of the Mesker Park Zoom Botanic Garden Advisory Board. I have to call the meeting to order. First up is the minutes from the April meeting. Excuse me. Do we have any additions, edits, changes to those minutes? All those in favor of accepting the minutes as is, say aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Minutes are hereby accepted. Moving along to the report by Director Beck. Good afternoon. It is springtime, so a lot happening, a lot to update on. First on the attendance and revenue report. You can see I think we have is April on here too. Yeah, April's on here too. So 25,371 people in April, which is uh real close to a record April for us. On this sheet, March was a record March. So we're already at 60,000 visitors for the year. Um so it's been a really strong spring so far. Um revenue on the revenue side. Uh this is just uh our gross revenue through the city. Uh so $235,000 for the month of April and 476,000 uh so far here to date. Um so again, a strong, strong start to the spring. Uh gift shop is still uh going really well. We did $54,000 in sales in April. Uh looks like our record was way back in 2023 of $61,000. So it was better than the last year, but kind of almost on track of where we were in 2024. If you remember, last year was kind of a dip for us as far as attendance and revenue. So it is good to see it back on track, so to speak. And then our uh concessionaire venue works. Uh, they report um their gross sales, which is lagging a little bit behind. So their most recent report I guess is February. Uh so we'll get those from them sooner than later. Um, some staffing updates. Uh we are still in dire need of an animal curator. We've been looking for one for better part of oh boy, four or five months. Um, and we're still have a vacancy right now, so we're kind of uh re-looking at our strategy. We've had it posted kind of all over and um just not having any luck getting it filled. Um, other staffing news, we do have summer camp counselors and education part-timers, which are year-round that are currently open and on the city website for applications. So if you know anyone in the education field looking for year-round part-time work or summer camp work, a lot of school teachers uh come and work for us in the summertime to do summer camps, so still trying to fill those roles. Um as far as animal updates, uh spring, like I said, has been a busy time. So the budgies have been out for a little bit now. It got finally got warm enough for them to go out. We've changed their feeding strategy this year. Thank you to Stephanie Sanderson, and uh they're doing really well on the new food. Uh African tortoises are Sulcata tortoises are getting ready to go out, I think this week. Um the giants will probably wait a little bit longer. They're not as easy to move if we get a cold snap for a night or two. So we wait till usually around Memorial Day weekend to put the big ones out or the bigger ones.

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