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| Crew dumps rocks along the wall at Capron Park Zoo'S pond in Attleboro. (Staff photo by TOM MAGUIRE)
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ATTLEBORO - What could be a year-long project to add animal exhibits to the pond at Capron Park Zoo is under way.
The goal is to build two islands that would become warm-weather homes for primates, including colobus monkeys and lemurs. A boardwalk would be built near the islands to allow patrons to view the animals.
So far, city workers have drained the 5-foot-deep pool on the northern edge of the zoo and have begun to remove sludge that has built up over years.
A retaining wall around the pond will be repaired, as well.
The islands could be under construction by next week, but Zoo Director Jean Benchimol said it's not likely the project will be finished before next summer.
The work is being done in two phases.
Phase I includes cleaning the pond, repairing the retaining wall, building the islands and constructing the exhibits. All that work is being done by the city.
Phase II will include construction of the boardwalk and the addition of the animals.
The boardwalk will be expensive, but the Friends of Capron Park Zoo aim to help with the cost, Benchimol said.
The group is working with Benchimol to hire an architect to design the boardwalk. Once the design is complete, officials will be able to determine how much it will cost.
Benchimol, who hopes to use the boardwalk as an entrance to an African Safari exhibit that would eventually be built on what is now a softball field, said the project is a priority for Mayor Kevin Dumas.
She credited Dumas with getting the work underway
"He's working very hard to make sure this continues," Benchimol said. "He doesn't want to see this dropped."
Dumas said it's been his goal to make the pond, which has languished for 15 years, an attraction again.
"It's exciting because it will open up the pond," he said. "It will be a wonderful attraction for zoo patrons."
The project has been talked about since at least 2002, when the Friends and then-Mayor Judith Robbins worked on it. At the time, the Friends offered to donate $50,000 for the boardwalk, but Robbins rejected the money when financial mismanagement was discovered at the zoo.
She said the zoo needed to get its "house in order" before it could take on a major renovation.
Dumas hired Benchimol two years ago, and since then she has overseen the reaccreditation of the zoo, the renovation of all exhibits, the acquisition of new animals and the restoration of the zoo's finances.
GEORGE W. RHODES can be reached at 508-236-0432 or at grhodes@thesunchronicle.com.
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