Council to Vote on Zoo’s Bear Country Exhibit Tonight

The future of the proposed Bear Country exhibit at the Lake Superior Zoo could get a little bit brighter tonight.

DULUTH, Minn.-The future of the proposed Bear Country exhibit at the Lake Superior Zoo could get a little bit brighter tonight.

The Duluth City Council is set to vote on spending nearly $400,000 on the project.

With those funds, an architectural firm would develop design drawings which would eventually be used for construction of the site which will feature brown, black, and possibly grizzly bears.

“This will be a big change in terms of the perspective of the zoo going forward,” said Erik Simonson, the CEO of Lake Superior Zoo. “This is one of the key components of our new operating plans – getting this done is really important for our zoo and our guests.”

The first portion of the $4 million project is expected to be completed by the middle of summer, while the second part is expected to be completed in the fall.

The project will be funded through a combination of $1.9 million in state bonding dollars, along with matching funds coming from the city through a tourism tax, along with private donations and a grant.