Dane County  
Minutes - Final Unless Amended by  
Committee  
Henry Vilas Zoo Commission  
Consider:  
Who benefits? Who is burdened?  
Who does not have a voice at the table?  
How can policymakers mitigate unintended consequences?  
Tuesday, August 2, 2022  
7:30 AM  
Virtual Meeting  
A. Call To Order  
Others present: Ronda Schwetz, Kristin Moala, Joseph Darcangelo  
A motion was made by ROSS that the Zoo Commission meeting be called to  
order at 7:34am. The motion carried unanimously.  
7 -  
Present  
TAG EVERS, JEFFREY GUNDERSON, SARAH JUSTUS, MICHAEL PETERSEN,  
ANNE ROSS, Supervisor CECELY CASTILLO, and JONATHAN BECKER  
B. Consideration of Minutes  
Attachments: 2022 MIN-206  
A motion was made by BECKER, seconded by JUSTUS, that the Minutes be  
approved. The motion carried by a voice vote.  
C. Action Items  
D. Presentations  
None  
None  
E. Reports to Committee  
Darcangelo gave an update on the Zoo's new concessions vendor, SSA. When we did the  
2022 budget we projected $500k in revenue for SSA and we are on track to hit that  
target. The Zoo took over operations of the carousel/train this year. We projected $225k  
in revenue for that and we have already exceeded over $275k for the year. SSA is  
purchasing a food trailer with the capital funding that will be able to be moved around the  
zoo and we expect to have it here by September.  
Attendance down just a little bit from 2021. (By about 25,000) We have had 425,000  
visitors so far this year. We think that more venues opening up has contributed to that.  
Donations in the tubes are holding steady from last year, and we have had significant  
bequest donations come in this year.  
We’ve had two meetings with neighbors so far. They have been going really well. We told  
them when our first corporate event was happening to solicit feedback and got positive  
input. They have already helped by brainstorming ways we can increase bike parking.  
We are already looking at ways to include them in CLR plans.  
Schwetz talked about how the Zoo's access and equity survey report should be out the  
week of August 8th and we will be discussing it with the Commission at next month's  
meeting.  
Schwetz talked about how Supervisor Collins has been trying to get universal changing  
stations in County buildings. We looked at retro fitting our current bathrooms, but do not  
have space. We are starting up with our giraffe exhibit designs again and are  
incorporating a universal changing station in those plans. We are looking at installing  
power doors in all our public buildings to also help with accessibility. We are using  
restricted donations to pay for that improvement.  
We have submitted our 2023 budget request. We added a diversity line item. It’s going  
through technical review process. The October meeting will be when we do a deep dive  
into the budget.  
Schwetz gave an animal update. We have found a 6-month old camel who could be a  
companion for Altain. We are in the process of figuring out transportation, but the move  
will most likely happen in fall when temps are cooler. We are redoing all of the fencing  
around the bison exhibit. While we only have one bison we are using this opportunity to  
improve that space. Once the work is complete we will look in to getting more bison. Our  
new red panda is out on exhibit and doing well. Chelsea’s baby finally has a name –  
Menjadi. Baby is doing great. Menjadi will not be introduced to Datu for a few more  
months. Discussion ensued.  
We are ready to go in to design/development phase with the giraffe exhibit. The week of  
Sept 19 we will be having meetings with CLR and would like to have a session with the  
commission. More details to come.  
We submitted our response to the animal complaint that was filed with AZA. AZA’s  
accreditation committee reviews that report. The review will take place at their annual  
meeting in September and they will follow up after that. We feel good about the response  
we submitted and the care we provide so we are optimistic about the outcome.  
F. Future Meeting Items and Dates  
The next Zoo Commission meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 at  
7:30am. The meeting will be held virtually.  
The Zoo's conference room has been outfitted with upgraded technology to allow hybrid  
meetings in the future.  
G. Public Comment on Items not on the Agenda  
None  
H. Such Other Business as Allowed by Law  
Sarah Justus has been working on the Commission’s statement of support for the zoo  
that the Commission would like to send to the County Board. She will circulate a draft  
and bring it back to the commission for formal adoption at the next meeting. Discussion  
ensued.  
I. Adjourn  
A motion was made by JUSTUS, seconded by BECKER, that the Zoo Commission  
meeting be adjourned at 8:34am. The motion carried unanimously.  
Respectfully submitted by Kristin Moala, pending approval from the Zoo Commission.