(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Erie City Council has unanimously signed off on transferring just shy of 100 acres of city-owned property, including the Erie Zoo, to Erie Events as part of a long-range plan to help the financially-struggling zoo.
Council signed off on a resolution approving the transfer at its regular meeting on Aug. 6 in the Bagnoni Council Chambers at City Hall, following more than an hour of public comment about the issue.
Prior to the start of the meeting, City Council members agreed to shelve another zoo-related resolution, one that proposed pledging city support of at least $500,000 a year for the zoo moving forward.
Council members, in their pre-meeting caucus, decided to pull that resolution from the agenda because there was not enough support on the seven-member panel for it.
Councilmember Tyler Titus, the panel’s liaison to the zoo, said prior to council's vote that the city “is in no position to be able to meet the zoo’s needs. Nor should we try.
“I do not think Erie Events has an easy road ahead of them on this,” Titus said. “But I think this resolution puts us in the best position.”
Council's vote now allows the city, zoo officials and Erie Events to finalize a new arrangement regarding zoo operations. Zoo officials had stressed urgency in recent weeks because of the zoo's precarious financial condition.
In a letter to Erie Mayor Joe Schember dated Aug. 1, zoo officials gave formal notice of their plans to terminate a zoo management agreement that's been in place since 1964.
The letter, signed by Erie Zoo CEO Melissa "Roo" Kojancie and Jeffrey Beach, chairman of the Erie Zoological Society, sets Aug. 1, 2026, as the formal termination date for that agreement.
Zoo officials had also said publicly that absent a new arrangement regarding zoo operations, they would begin to slowly shut down the zoo and have animals transferred to other facilities.
Gus Pine, Erie Events’ executive director, attended City Council's meeting.
Asked about the vote, Pine said: “Honestly, I’m even more happy as a citizen of this community. If the zoo goes away, it’s a hit to our morale as a community. It’s the type of amenity that is critical to attracting businesses and our quality of life. I’m really pleased that we could collaborate and make this happen.”
A proposed new agreement
Both resolutions were proposed as city officials, Erie Events and zoo officials are working to come up with a solution to the zoo’s financial crisis and create a plan for managing the zoo moving forward.
Officials from Erie Events — which owns and operates the Warner Theatre, Bayfront Convention Center, UPMC Park and two bayfront hotels — have said the organization is willing to provide $500,000 a year in operating income and serve as a partner to stabilize zoo operations.
In exchange, both zoo officials and Erie Events asked the city to transfer ownership of the zoo, Glenwood Golf Course, Flo Fabrizio Ice Rink and Glenwood Park to Erie Events. The agreement, in total, involves 96 acres of property.
The resolution council approved Aug. 6 does that, with various conditions/restrictions on how the property can be used.
Those restrictions include:
- Erie Events must commit to providing a $500,000 yearly payment to the zoo.
- Erie Events “shall maintain a zoo on the property.”
- Erie Events must commit to maintaining a nine-hole golf course within those 96 acres, and the city would continue to operate the course. Erie Events would lease the golf course back to the city for free.
- Erie Events is prohibited from selling or transferring “any portion of the property without the approval of the city of Erie.”
- If Erie Events fails to maintain a zoo and a golf course on the property, “ownership of the Property shall revert back to the City of Erie.”
- The city would continue to operate Glenwood Park’s picnic grounds and horseshoe courts, which Erie Events would lease back to the city for free.
- Erie Events will take over operation of the Flo Fabrizio Ice Center.
- Utility costs and insurance for all 96 acres would become the responsibility of Erie Events.
During the citizen comment portion of City Council’s meeting, a number of people, including current Erie Zoo employees, asked council to help ensure the zoo’s long-term future by transferring control of the property to Erie Events.
One of those who spoke was Darren Julius, a zookeeper at the Erie Zoo for the past eight years.
Julius said the zoo creates more than $21 million in annual economic impact for the city, and it supports and sustains more than 200 city jobs, according to a 2022 zoo study.
Transferring property to Erie Events, Julius said, makes sense in terms of tourism.
“Erie Events is much more sustainable,” said Julius. “We’ve seen what they’ve done with the Warner Theatre and all the properties that they manage.”
City Council reacts
Council President Mel Witherspoon said he initially intended to vote ‘no’ on the Erie Events resolution, because he was wary of giving up city-owned property.
“I don’t believe this is a good business deal, from a business perspective,” Witherspoon said.
However, discussing the issue with his colleagues convinced Witherspoon that Erie Events' involvement was best for the zoo's long-term sustainability moving forward.
Councilman Ed Brzezinski seconded that sentiment. Brzezinski said "we had to come to some kind of conclusion” regarding the zoo, and direct city funding regarding the zoo was not the answer.
The property transfer and a collaboration with Erie Events, Brzezinski said, makes the most sense.
“Let’s give it to the pros,” Brzezinski said.
Councilwoman Jasmine Flores said the zoo is a community asset that other municipalities should also support.
“It is a regional asset and the county should help support (it),” Flores said. “We know that everyone uses the zoo… I think it’s going to be time that we find ways to make sure that everyone’s paying their fair share for these amenities.”
Councilwoman Kathy Schaaf agreed.
“I really think it does take a community collaboration… All of our surrounding municipalities really should invest in the zoo as well,” Schaaf said.
Kojancie, who was named CEO of the zoo in December of 2023, called the 7-0 vote "a perfect outcome," saying that council acted in the best interest of the zoo and the city.
"We are thrilled by what it means for the city and what it means for the region," she said. "Seeing that vote (recognizing) that Erie Events is the solution to the long-term success of the zoo was fantastic to witness."
There are still plenty of details to work out in the marriage of Erie Events and the Erie Zoo.
"We know that this is a huge step in the right direction," Kojancie said.
Staff writer Jim Martin contributed to this report.
Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on X at@ETNflowers.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie City Council unanimously OK’s zoo property transfer to Erie Events. What it means
