Jeff Platsky

jplatsky@gannett.com | @JeffPlatsky

The Binghamton lost its accreditation this year%2C the second time since 2005

A string of short-tenured zoo directors left the facility in tatters%2C operationally and financially

In 2015%2C the zoo will get %24259%2C000 from Broome County%2C a 29 percent decline in funding over the past eight years

When Stephanie and Archie Resue wanted to entertain their 17-month-old son, Jack, on a chilly and overcast Saturday last week, just one destination popped into their heads.

They bundled up Jack, strapped him in his stroller and headed for a mile-and-a-half stroll through the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park. He was finally at the age where the toddler could enjoy the animal exhibits — everything from the chickens and goats as a visitor enters the gates to the quirky group of penguins that inhabit an exhibit at the very top of the hill that the zoo calls home.

The two 27-year-old Endicott residents never had second thoughts about their choice. It was, after all, what they did as youngsters growing up in the Triple Cities.

"It's long been a staple in the community," said Stephanie Resue, just as Jack was waking up from his nap from the ride over.

Problem is, too few people in the region think like the Resues.

For many, the zoo is no longer the "go-to" place.

Attendance, though up from its lowest levels, is still at about half of its 110,000 peak reached in the mid-1990s.

And a string of short-tenured zoo directors left the facility in tatters, operationally and financially, giving the impression among many in the community that the venue, long-treasured by natives such as the Resues, was on life support.

With a yearly budget of $1 million, and a nearly a third of that coming from Broome County and New York State, the zoo is attempting to right itself after more than 10 years of financial and operational management problems.

The job of restructuring the zoo is a formidable one.

The Southern Tier Zoological Society, which operates the Binghamton Zoo, ran a $47,000 operating deficit in 2011, when total revenue dipped to $940,000 from typical revenue of between $1 and $1.2 million. The lean years forced the zoo to tap into a bank credit line to cover operating expenses, according to financial disclosures nonprofits must file with the Internal Revenue Service.

By 2012, the zoo had boosted revenues by $250,000 through higher grant and contribution income. Though the credit line has been paid off, several significant hurdles remain.

"This place was in financial disarray," said Mario Difulvio, the Horizon Federal Credit Union president who became president of the Southern Tier Zoological Association board of directors this year.

This past season admission receipts are up 20 percent and now account for about $240,000 of the zoo's revenues. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $5 for children 3-11.

Although there is a deep emotional attachment between the community and its zoo — the facility regularly counts on the 75 to 100 volunteers to help fulfill its mission — some elements were publicly questioning whether the venue could remain open, and whether it was worth trying to salvage the 25-acre facility that sits in a 90-acre tree-lined park located in the southeast corner of the City of Binghamton.

The recent loss of the Binghamton Zoo's accreditation from the Silver Spring, Md.-based Association of Zoos and Aquariums only served to confirm the worst fears of those concerned with the facility's future. The accreditation loss was the second time it occurred in the last nine years.

On the surface, accreditation loss is a stinging indictment against the zoo past practices. But experts say the institution can recover. They also note that the accreditation loss does not preclude the zoo from obtaining new animals for its collection

"Losing accreditation isn't the worst thing," said Alan Sironen, a board member with the Punta Gorda, Fla.-based Zoological Association of America and former director of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. "It creates a new focus. People and the institution often emerge stronger."

Rob Vernon, senior vice president for external affairs at the Association of Zoo and Aquariums, said the details of the accreditation committee's findings are confidential.

Local zoo officials, however, said the association's concerns center on financial stability, staff salaries — the zoo has a staff of 22 — and deferred maintenance.

"It's going to take more than a year to do some of these things," Sironen said.

As the fifth-oldest zoo in America, founded in 1875, the zoo is bound to have afflictions that don't affect more modern zoos and the age of facilities number one among them.

A new partial tin roof sits over the shelf where the snow leopard lounges, protecting the majestic white specimen from rain and sun. The improvement was prompted by recommendations made by the reviewers. A new roof has been installed on an office and commissary building. A pond area in the lower zoo that once housed ducks but was no longer deemed suitable for animals is being converted to a recreation and education area.

Zoo managers concede that the venue may have some rough edges. They are trying to address issues such as exhibit upkeep. The zoo must wait until at least next summer for another review by the accreditation committee, but before they call the contingent back they have to be certain they have addressed the issues. The wait for re-accreditation may be even longer than a year as the board and managers try to assure that all issues raised by reviewers are resolved.

Meanwhile, Zoo Interim Director Steven Contento manages the zoo much as he did before the loss of accreditation, trying to make the exhibits more visitor friendly, and trying to offer new attractions for those who have preconceived notions that the zoo is too humdrum.

"It's a constant juggling act," said Contento, who was lured back to zoo by the Southern Tier Zoological Society's board in 2012. He returned after a string of four other directors were let go between Contento's initial 2002 departure and his return.

That period between Contento's director stints were tumultuous, and notable for black marks on the zoo's reputation.

In December 2005, a baby red wolf disappeared from its exhibit, and was later found dead in a ravine outside the zoo's wolf enclosure. And in 2011, two Amur tigers died of what was believed to have been a kidney condition.

Now, under what the board of directors believes is the steady and reliable leadership of Contento, the zoo is ready to put past problems behind, and set a course for stability.

In the future, however, the zoo will have to cope with less from one of its main funding sources, Broome County's taxpayers. In 2008, the county allocated $366,000 to the zoo, about 35 percent of the $1 million annual budget. In 2015, the zoo will get $259,000 from the county.

Based on attendance numbers, the assistance provided by Broome County amounts to about $5 for each zoo visitor, or about $1.30 for each county resident. Even as county decreases its support, Broome County Executive Debra Preston said she is not about to abandon the zoo.

"It's hard to put a price on a jewel of the community such as the zoo," Preston said . "Generations upon generations have walked through those gates and continue to do so and those families get a great deal of enjoyment out of it. I can't speak for every person in Broome County, but we see it as important fabric of our community's culture."

Though the zoo's entire facility lies within a city park, City of Binghamton provides no cash for zoo operations, but does assist with "in-kind" services, said William Barber, Binghamton's director of Parks and Recreation. The city also provides water and sewer service gratis.

This year, city crews assisted with tree trimming around the zoo's grounds. The city is building a $400,000 amphitheater by the zoo's entrance with a bulk of the money provided from a state grant. The amphitheater is expected to be ready next spring and play host to zoo as well and community events, attracting more people to Ross Park, and, it is hoped, drawing more people through the gates.

"The zoo tends to take a hit because of things beyond their control," said Barber who sits on the board. The zoo is closed in late fall and through the winter, except for weeks when there is no school. Limited hours during the winter put a pinch on zoo admissions. Zoos in Buffalo and Syracuse are open year-round.

Directors of the Southern Tier Zoological Society aren't counting on any increase in government support. Much like other non-profits facing a government funding squeeze, the board is looking at other avenues such as appeals to foundations, but there is only so much money available, and competition for those funds is growing. Many local non-profits, finding themselves in the same situation as the zoo, are also appealing to the same deep pockets for more support.

Older zoos in smaller communities face a tough challenge, said Sironen, not having the population base or the same level of support often seen at zoos in larger metropolitan region.

In the end, however, the board realizes that it must identify new income streams to support the zoo, DiFulvio said.

"Expectations for zoos have grown," Sironen said. "They're facing it every single day. People want to have a close encounter at a zoo. They're going to have to elevate the visitor experience."

Indeed, a variety of animal exhibits are no longer enough to attract zoo visitors, said Todd Geise, marketing manager at the Buffalo Zoo. There's a certain amount of over-the-top marketing needed to keep the the zoo an attractive option when so many other venues are competing for the a piece of a family's disposable income. Just presenting a collection of animals won't cut it, Geise said.

"You continually have to assess what you're doing," Geise said, offering fresh exhibits or value-added activities on the grounds to attract a visitor who can choose the zoo or any just easily go to the movies on a given day.

One of the more popular events at the Buffalo Zoo, the nation's third oldest zoo, is Bufalove Fest. In the spring, the zoo invites regional food trucks to the grounds, hosts musical groups, trying to attract thew 25 to 35-year-old demographic, or, as Geise describes them, "the next generation of parents." The event draws 2,000 people each spring.

Enter a new red panda, born at the zoo last year. The exhibit, accompanied by a high-powered publicity campaign, drew a collection of new visitors who were hoping for a glimpse of the often shy infant.

The zoo has about 75 different animal species and 180 animal specimens, with the collection spanning from a leopard to an Amur tiger to a collection of wallabies. On a recent day the cougar and the leopard were splayed out in the middle of their cage, in full view of visitors who wandered by, while a collection of tortoises were chomping on their lunch.

However, for some, the trek over the zoo's hilly blacktop paths is too strenuous, discouraging them from making the visit. To accommodate those intimidated by the hilly terrain, the zoo now has a fleet of three trams, funded by contributions from a combination of state grants and corporate contributions, to transport visitors from the front gate to the animal exhibits.

To bring more dollars in, the zoo is counting on a new concession stand strategically placed at the top of the hill to bring in more cash. With the assistance of a foundation grant, the zoo is expanding its gift shop, and detouring visitors through the expanded retail space as they exit the gates.

Count the zoo in on the Christmas rush too. Zoo-related items will be on sale at the Oakdale Mall through the holiday season to bring in even more cash. Through those efforts, the zoo directors believe it can boost revenues beyond the $80,000 recorded in 2012, to provide as much as 30 percent of the facility's annual budget.

But bottom line, consultants, board members and even zoo visitors agree, the attraction must lure many more visitors through the gates.

"We've lost a lot of population and that's been a challenge," DiFulvio said. Broome County's population was approximately 213,000 in the mid-1980s when zoo admissions peaked, and is now estimated at 198,000 according to the most recent Bureau of the Census estimates.

"The admissions have suffered greatly with the population decline," and Binghamton is a much less affluent community than it was 30 years ago as some of the major employers closed or drastically downsized, he said.

"When we go to the Syracuse Zoo there's always a crowd," said Stephanie Rasue. "I wish we could see it here."

By the numbers

Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park

Annual admissions: 55,000

Annual budget: $1 million

Animal species: 75

Parking: Free

Admission: Adults, $7, Children, $5; Seniors, $6

Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park (Syracuse)

Annual admissions: 370,000

Annual budget: $2.7 million

Animal species: 243

Admission: Adults, $8; Children, $4, Seniors, $5

Parking: Free

Buffalo Zoo

Annual admissions: 450,000

Annual budget: $7.1 million

Animal Species: 146

Admission: Adults, $10.50; Children, $7.50; Seniors, $8.50

Parking: $4