Documents show Sacramento Zoological Society, Elk Grove had champagne tastes on a beer budget for zoo relocation
The document outlines subsequent reductions in the plans.
Dom Perignon aspirations on a Pabst Blue Ribbon budget!
When the relocation of the Sacramento Zoo project collapsed last month, the city of Elk Grove and the Sacramento Zoological Society engaged in a passive-aggressive game of finger-pointing. Each pointed the finger at the other in a case of blame shaming.
Regardless of where the actual blame lies, documents requested by Elk Grove News from the city of Elk Grove revealed another finding - both parties had extravagant tastes when it came to the original cost estimate of the Sacramento Zoo relocation project.
One of the documents examined by a reader assisting EGN revealed a noteworthy attachment to an email between Elk Grove City Manager Jason Behrman and Elizabeth Stallard, the president of the SZS, and its interim director, Robert Churchill. Those documents (see below) showed the original cost estimates for the project substantially higher than the $300 million price tag communicated to the public.
Buried in a 650-plus page email document, a report titled "Outline of Key Design Milestones and Decision Points" showed the Fall 2022 cost estimate for Phase 1 of zoo relocation at $432,139,183. The estimate was from Seattle-based SHR Studios, which specializes in developing zoological parks.
As noted in the document, the total cost significantly exceeded anticipated costs. The report stated that a Spring 2022 feasibility study commissioned by the Sacramento Zoological Society and conducted by Haddonfield, New Jersey-based Relevant Strategies and Solutions (RS&S) said Phase 1 of the relocation project would cost $174,000,000.
The document outlines subsequent reductions in the plans. By the Spring of 2023, the project eliminated several items and reduced the cost to $269,965,928. Notably, the Spring 2023 cost did not include the cost of parking lots.
Instead of using the Spring 2023 cost estimate, the document states that the parties returned to the January 2023 budget estimate, which was $218,223,324. The document's last cost estimate was in February 2024 at $225,941,824.
The document provides a glimpse into the negotiations between Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen, city employees, and the SZS representatives. The timeline on the report shows the zoo was scaled back as talks unfolded.
As such, the grand plans for the zoo were based on the cost estimates from RS&S. As noted by the SZS, when the end of the zoo relocation project was announced, the size and scope had been significantly reduced.
Fortunately for Elk Grove taxpayers, as the project was fleshed out, costs turned out to be far higher than initially expected, and the reality set in. Both parties thought they could get a Dom Perignon Champagne zoo, but reality showed they could only afford a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer facility.
Check back for follow-up stories on the findings of the documents released to Elk Grove News.
