-- Prepare for change: The well-known face of

will soon undergo a $15 million facelift.

The Birmingham City Council today approved a resolution to raise $7.5 million in bonds toward the Zoo's $15 million Capital Campaign project.

The funds will be used to transform the front entrance of the 59-year-old facility, create an entrance plaza complete with a state-of-the-art classroom and build a new Asian Forest exhibit to house tigers, orangutans and siamang apes.

"These forms of capital funds will also help to ensure Birmingham's thrust as a global attraction," said Council President Johnathan Austin. "The Zoo continues to provide numerous benefits for our city, and we are excited about what is to come."

The other half of the funds needed , said Dr. William Foster, President and CEO of the Zoo, Dr., will be raised through private donations.

Planned Changes

Some of the most immediately striking changes are the planned upgrades of the front entrance.

"These necessary changes are the product of our success," said Foster.

The zoo entrance, which has sometimes been described as "tired," he said, must match the quality of the exhibits and animals housed within the zoo.

BZI hired renowned zoo designer Ace Torre to help their vision come to light. Torre's composite sketches include concepts found in the surrounding local community, said Foster, emphasizing stone and wood features.

One wing of the new, energy-efficient entrance will be dedicated exclusively to education.

"That's part of our mission," said Foster, "one of the reasons we are here."

Nairi the orangutan, and her mother, Lipz, will have a new home in the Asian Forest (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com)

The new addition will serve as an orientation hub for visiting students. Along with serving as an area of introduction to the zoo, students will be able to get involved with hands-on activities as part of a portal to a natural classroom.

The second floor of the new entrance will be lined with floor-to-ceiling windows and will house the zoo's office staff.

A ticket counter and gift shop will round out the rest of the building.

As soon as visitors walk through the entrance, they will walk into a water feature-lined hard-surface orientation plaza designed for high-traffic activities such as an Earth Day celebration.

A secondary tier, designed like a meadow, will serve to host after-hour celebrations including weddings, dinners and concerts.

A paved promenade will surround the two areas to facilitate guests' desired entry into the various areas of the zoo. The promenade is designed to contain a water feature built with historic fish hatchery stone known to many zoo visitors.

Guests who choose to veer off to the right of the promenade toward the Children's Zoo will be able to gain access to a second-story elevated walkway that will lead visitors over the train tracks and into an enclosed exhibit area of the planned Asian Forest. The new exhibit is designed to replace the currently outdated predator building.

Within the Asian Forest, guests will encounter orangutans that can move around the glass from all angles--creating the experience that it's the humans who are the ones on display. The outdoor exhibits, built to house the orangutans, siamang apes known for their vocal chords and anywhere from three to six tigers, will be accompanied by an indoor classroom with windows designed so that the orangutans can peek in while students view out.

Moving Forward, Economic Impact

The Birmingham Zoo is a regional facility that attracts visitors from across the state and the country, said Foster. Current visitor trends indicate 40/60 spread, he said, meaning that 60 percent of the people who visit are residents of the Greater Birmingham Area while the other 40 percent come from all over.

"The Zoo has been a distinguished attraction for the Birmingham community for nearly 60 years," said Mayor William Bell. "The new renovations will be an exciting opportunity for the community to come together and watch this landmark grow and develop into an even greater institution."

According to The Birmingham Zoo, during the $15 million construction phase, the projected one-time economic impact is $31.5 million. The ongoing economic impact is expected to raise the zoo's economic impact within the local economy from $37.2 million to $46.3 million following the initial investment.

It is projected that during the construction phase of the project, the work will support between 530-550 total jobs, approximately 160 jobs through non-local visitors and 370 jobs created via zoo operations.

The $15 million capital investment is expected to increase the zoo's baseline attendance to 610,000 visitors--a 60,000 visitor increase over the current baseline.

Now that the Birmingham City Council has agreed to move forward, the conceptual sketches will move onto a planning and designing phase expected to last about 12 months. From there, the plans will move onto a bidding phase before construction begins. Currently, the construction timeline is estimated at 36 months.

"The Birmingham Zoo is a wonderful place for all ages to enjoy and learn about nature and conservation," said Chairman of the Birmingham Zoo Board of Directors, Jesse Vogtle Jr. "This Public/Private partnership investment certainly will increase Birmingham's ability to serve more youth through our Kiwanis Zoo School and other educational opportunities. We are very excited for the future."

Updated at 9:45 a.m. on May 21 to include more information.