The Coalition to Save the Livery learned a few hours before the website press release that Mark Creswell is withdrawing the proposal on behalf of the zoo for the Longworth Buildings. See the article posted on the Chelsea website below.
Despite this impending withdrawal, the Coalition will meet as planned on Monday, September 21, in the Chocolate Gourmet Shop at 7 p.m. to discuss ways to stop the demolition of the livery--one of five remaining in the state. Please attend, be a part of the planning to halt this yet another demolition in Chelsea's downtown by the DDA.
Chelsea zoo proposal for Livery building withdrawn
Published: Thursday, September 10, 2009
By Terry Jacoby
Heritage Newspapers
Mark Creswell, founder of the Great Lakes Zoological Society (GLZS), informed the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority (DDA) on Thursday that his group was withdrawing its proposal for development of the Longworth buildings in downtown Chelsea.
The "Save the Livery Coalition," a group of citizens attempting to save the Livery, which is part of the Longworth complex, recently supported Creswell's plan to bring a destination, indoor animal zoo to Chelsea. The DDA gave the group a 60-day extension, putting on hold plans to knock down the historic building.
While the extension still exists, hopes for a zoo at that location do not.
"The board voted (Thursday) that it would not be in our best interest fiscally to pursue the Longworth building for our purposes," Creswell said. "We voted this morning (Thursday) and will be retracting our offer. We are currently drafting a letter to inform the DDA."
Creswell said he was "disappointed" that this project fell apart.
"The bottom line is we don't feel the offer we would make would be accepted," he said. "So there is no point in wasting everyone's time putting something together that we know wouldn't get accepted. We felt we had to be fiscally responsible."
Creswell called the Longworth buildings "ideal" as far as location and size.
"There could have been some problems with parking, but overall we wouldn't have pursued it in the first place if we didn't feel it was an ideal spot," he said.
Creswell and the GLZS will now look for another "ideal spot," this one a little more fiscally responsible. He said putting an indoor zoo in Chelsea has been on his drawing board for four years and he will continue his search for a suitable location.
"We believe this would create tourism revenue for Chelsea and believe it's going to be another great attraction for this community," he said.
But not in the Longworth Building.
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