Members of Folsom City Council will review and discuss the plans ahead for Folsom City Zoo after a federal inspection found the perimeter fence of the facility is not compliant. 

The city has a costly decision ahead, to either upgrade the facility or face possible federal fines and even closure in the future. Federal fines for non-compliance could be as much as $10,000 per day.  In review of city documents detailing the inspection and the required needs, council members are expected to approve the project Tuesday night.

Back in November of 2022, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), conducted a perimeter walk of the Folsom Zoo City Zoo. The USDA, which regulates zoo facilities, found that the 60-year-old Folsom facility that spans just over 6 acres, does not meet current safety standards. 

Following the inspection, officials advised zoo management that the, perimeter fence does not meet the height requirement and the necessary tree and shrub clearance from perimeter fence zone requirements,” according to city documents prepared for Tuesday’s city council meeting.

According to the report, the existing perimeter fence of Folsom City Zoo is as low as 6′ in many locations around the facility, including near the front entry, posing a hazard when it comes to keeping people out and animals inside. The report states that required height of the perimeter fencing should be 8′ and that all trees and shrubs within three feet of the fence must be removed or trimmed per the requirement. 

The 2022 inspection was followed by a verbal notice to the city, with the understanding that an, “extremely thorough inspection would occur in early 2024to assess whether compliance had been achieved. 

“Over the years, soil has moved around, there’s been a lot of debris and litter, so the ground level has been brought up,” Brad Nelson, the senior park planner for the City of Folsom, explained at an earlier city meeting. “The fence itself is in a pretty bad state of repair.”

Now, the fate of the zoo’s needs falls into the hands of City Council. Tuesday night, details and bids will be reviewed by council members followed by a vote on how to proceed. According to the report, the call for compliance needs to be completed by March of 2024. 

Once the first forthcoming thorough inspection occurs, the USDA will perform up to two additional inspections within a 60- day period, according to the city’s report. If the Zoo is still not in compliance at that time, the license to operate the not be issued, and a penalty of $10,000 will be levied for each day of non-compliance therafter.  During such a time, the zoo would also be required to close its doors and not be open to the public and still face the costly fines. 

Since the initial federal inspection, city staff has worked on the scope of the making the needed correction. According to an initial cost analysis, the project was estimated to be in the neighborhood of $1,200,00. After bringing together resources, city staff estimated that cost of the project to be $710,000 an put public bid invitations out for contractors.

Tuesday night, city council will review those bids to decide on the contractor of choice. The Parks and Recreation Department recommend that the City Council pass and adopt a resolution to authorize the city manager to execute an agreement with lowest bidder, Golden Bay Fence Plus Iron Works, for the project. 

At the January 24, 2023 City Council meeting, the City Council directed staff to reserve the $507,700 of remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money for the zoo project. According to the city report, there is also an additional $123,982 available in funding from other Parks and Recreation ARPA-funded projects that came in under budget. The total funding available in ARPA funds for this project is $631,682. 

The total project budget, including a 10-percent contingency of $59,029, brings the total project to 5649,320. Funds are available in the general fund to cover the additional $17,638 for the contingency and will be appropriated to this project.  The lowest bid from Golden Bay Fence Plus Iron Works, Inc. for the project came in at $590,291.

Tuesday’s meeting takes place at Folsom’s City Hall at 6:30 p.m. with a full agenda that is viewable below this article. The public is always encouraged to attend these regular meetings

Here is a few of the key items on Tuesday’s agenda:

PUBLIC HEARING:

  • 10.Resolution No. 11078 – A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Folsom Approving and Confirming the Report of Delinquent Utilities Charges and Requesting Sacramento County to Collect Such Charges on the Tax Roll
  • 11.Resolution No. 11082 – A Resolution Approving the Final Engineer’s Report for the Following Landscaping and Lighting Districts for Fiscal Year 2023-2024 American River Canyon North, American River Canyon North No. 2, American River Canyon North No. 3, Blue Ravine Oaks, Blue Ravine Oaks No. 2, Briggs Ranch, Broadstone, Broadstone No. 4, Broadstone Unit No. 3, Cobble Ridge, Cobble Hills Ridge ll/Reflections II, Folsom Heights, Folsom Heights No. 2, Hannaford Cross, Lake Natoma Shores, Los Cerros, Natoma Station, Natoma Valley, Prairie Oaks Ranch, Prairie Oaks Ranch No. 2, Prospect Ridge, Sierra Estates, Silverbrook, Steeplechase, The Residences at American River Canyon, The Residences at American River Canyon II, Willow Creek Estates East, Willow Creek Estates East No. 2, Willow Creek Estates South, and Willow Springs

.

Full Agenda and Packet for July 25 Folsom City Council meeting:

https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument/index?cc=FOLSOMCA&me=d53a9562f1c64247aa45d6466473b7e1&ip=true