Conservancy launches fundraising effort

Facing a daunting June 11 deadline set by the City County, the nonprofit group managing Overton Park on Wednesday launched a public campaign to raise $1 million to help pay for parking improvements at the Memphis Zoo.

The effort by the Overton Park Conservancy got off to a solid start, said executive director Tina Sullivan. An anonymous donor — a longtime park supporter and volunteer — pledged to match any $25,000 donation made by the end of April. Other park supporters have found "creative" ways to contribute, as well, she said.

"We've already had a strong response," Sullivan said. "We've got some momentum early on."

The conservancy accelerated its fundraising schedule in response to action taken Tuesday in City Hall. The council adopted a resolution calling on both OPC and the Memphis Zoological Society, which operates the zoo, to secure $1 million in pledges toward construction of the project by June 11. Although the conservancy previously had pledged $250,000 for design work, the zoo threatened to withhold its half amid concerns the OPC wouldn't meet its obligation to fund half of the construction.

The parking improvements include a reconfiguration of existing lots and the addition of an adjacent parking area. The project is intended to provide the zoo sufficient spaces to allow for an end to the controversial practice of parking hundreds of vehicles on the Overton greensward, the 12-acre lawn near the center of the park, on peak attendance days. Completion is expected around spring of 2019.

The cost of the project will be determined through the design and engineering phase. Powers Hill Design has been selected to do that work.

Sullivan said the conservancy had planned to wait until the design was finished and the construction cost set before launching the public fundraising effort. "It's difficult to raise money when you don't know how much money you're supposed to be raising," she said.

Efforts to get a comment from zoo officials Wednesday afternoon on their fundraising efforts were unsuccessful.

One council member, Martavius Jones, voted against the resolution because of what he described as the unfairness of forcing the conservancy to split the funding burden with the zoo — the top tourist attraction in the Memphis area with more than 1 million annual visitors.

Tax reports filed by the zoo showed 2014 revenues of $21 million, including $10.4 million in gifts, grants, memberships and similar sources, and some $9 million in admissions, merchandise sales and other sources. The conservancy, which manages the park under a contract with the city, reported revenues of just under $900,000. The total compensation for zoo CEO Chuck Brady — $404,023 — almost equaled the $408,746 spent on salaries and benefits for conservancy's entire staff.

Reach Tom Charlier at thomas.charlier@commercialappeal.com or 901529-2572 and on Twitter at @thomasrcharlier.