Interview 30880 – Caption Index: 124
Go, you know, who, and I would say, well, who’s been to the PA MOU lately?… Read More
Go, you know, who, and I would say, well, who’s been to the PA MOU lately?… Read More
’cause there were no ladies at the time going, I’m the new guy in town, I’ve got some ideas, I wanna hear from you. Okay. And guys came up afterwards, they said, we’re gonna make this a priority project. You gotta join this club. We’re gonna make this a priority… Read More
And how did you get the, what were your strategies to get the community to embrace the zoo?… Read More
You know, I wasn’t at the zoo. I stepped in on Monday and on the zoo director’s calendar was to talk to the Kiwanis Club on Friday noon. 200, 200 guys. Then it was just a men’s club. 200 guys in a big room in downtown, in a cafeteria. I… Read More
From Watsu Lincoln? Yeah. The Money came from where to run the zoo. It was, the zoo has always been ever since incorporated. Completely private contributions, memberships, all earned revenue, concession stand gifts, all that has always run the zoo. When I stepped into the zoo, you know, the budget… Read More
It’s just like, it wasn’t right. There was a thing called the step in and playpens the step in and Playpens basically were a box size of a couple dining room tables with step with seats all the way around it. Flat seats. And they had Guinea pigs running in… Read More
And the money came from where now?… Read More
So it was, animal welfare was priority, public safety. So those are my initial changes that I started that was starting to guide my, my decision making. Read More
No shelter in Lincoln, Nebraska, no roof over their head. I said, I went, I need to establish some sheltering for these llamas and these animals. And I gave them my list. They approved it and we started making our improvements there. And we had, we were housing, imagine an… Read More
Then when you turned on the drinking fountain, you could theoretically be sucking up swan fecal. I said I knew what my priorities had to be to start making improvements at the zoo. And the zoo board had just had a fundraiser and had some funds set aside for capital… Read More
He said, John, this should guide you. Public welfare and safety is number one. Staff safety and welfare is number two. Animal safety and welfare is number three. So when I get there and I walk around the zoo and the zoo’s literally crawling with rats in the daytime. Rats… Read More
What did you want to accomplish? First I wanted to and, and improve the facility. Look at the animal welfare. And, but I asked the board chair who signed the letter, an offer and who basically hired me, Bob Nevsky, may rest in peace, a wonderful person. Read More
I said, Bob, what are my instructions?… Read More
Okay, I’m your zoo director. What’s your expectations?… Read More
It gets cold in Lincoln, Nebraska. So yeah, it, the animal has been really, is pretty rough when I walked in. Read More
And as a new zoo director, what were your priorities?… Read More
Okay. Hodgepodge, not a lot of thought to it. Seasonal zoo, I mean, literally it closed. Zoo Zoo was built originally to open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. And then after that, the zoo moved all its animals out there was from Labor Day to Memorial Day. Basically there… Read More
Okay. Summer cottage, bare bones, maybe a light bulb or two very little, no running water to speak of just a rough little cottage. That’s basically how the Lincoln Children’s Zoo was built because it was not gonna house animals on a year round basis. So imagine moving into a… Read More
It was a zoo job. I really wanted a private zoo. Not a municipal zoo. ’cause I had had my fail of being a politician my 10 years at a municipal zoo. And when you’re at a municipal zoo, politics rears his ugly head so many times in your decision… Read More
So in this instance, what type of zoo did you find?… Read More