With a nearly $94 million series of renovation and construction projects under way at the Toledo Zoo, visitors will encounter more fences and detours than usual this summer.

Thanks to an influx of money from a levy approved by voters two years ago, the zoo has begun several major projects, as well as hundreds of smaller repairs and improvements.

The first two large projects funded by the levy, a new year-round children's area called Nature's Neighborhood and a renovation of the public parking lot, are to be completed within the next year.

The zoo has several other projects planned for high-traffic exhibits.

A major overhaul of the aquarium is to begin next year and the elephant, rhinoceros, and hippopotamus areas also will see significant changes.

Construction began in April on Nature's Neighborhood, a reimagined version of the Children's Zoo that aims to teach children about wildlife in an interactive way.

Anne Baker, the zoo's executive director, said the area will include stations where children can help take care of animals and others where they can imitate animals.

For instance, to get to an exhibit on spiders, kids can crawl across a mesh spiderweb.

"It will be constructed in such a way that kids get into the concept of being that animal," Ms. Baker said. "Truly, this is a place for kids to use their imagination."

Rick Payeff, the zoo's director of facilities and planning, said workers have finished clearing the site, located between the zoo museum building, the reptile house, and the Carnivore Cafe. The site is currently surrounded by fences, with signs explaining the project and inviting visitors to peek inside.

The area is to open in June 2009.

Workers also have begun construction on an expansion and redesign of the zoo's main visitor parking lot off Anthony Wayne Trail, to be complete by fall.

During the project, which will add 150 parking spaces, the parking lot's ticket booths will be relocated deeper into the lot.

Mr. Payeff said the city has raised concerns over the zoo's current parking configuration because the location of the ticket booths causes lines of vehicles to extend onto the Anthony Wayne Trail during peak hours.

"It's not a safe situation," Ms. Baker said.

The zoo also is using the levy money to fund millions of dollars in repairs.

While many of the projects are hidden from view - such as a $900,000 boiler replacement at the aquarium and greenhouse - others are more visible, such as the reopening of a 1950s carousel with new lighting and sound, as well as newly painted horses.

Several zoo buildings and areas are surrounded at least in part by construction fences or barriers, including the Carnivore Cafe, which is undergoing repairs.

Aaron and Liberty Leszkai of Cincinnati, who took their three kids to the zoo Thursday, said they're glad the zoo is adding new exhibits and fixing up old ones.

But the projects can put a damper on the experience for some children, Mrs. Leszkai said.

"Right now, it's annoying for the kids," she said, sitting across from the Carnivore Cafe. "They don't understand why there's construction."

Ms. Baker, who has emphasized environmentalism during her tenure as director, said many of the projects will use green technology to conserve energy.

Zoo officials are researching solar panels and wind turbines for power and geothermal wells that draw heat from the earth to help heat the zoo's aquarium and greenhouse.

The parking lot will have light-emitting diode streetlights, which use less electricity than light bulbs.

It also will include a rain garden, allowing rainwater to drain directly to the water table, Ms. Baker said.

"People don't think of a parking lot as being green, but this is about as green as you can make a parking lot," she said.

Over its 10-years, the 1-mill, capital improvement levy will generate about $86 million.

One mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value, meaning the zoo's levy costs the owner of a $100,000 home, $30.62 annually.

Toledo Zoo spokesman Andi Norman said the zoo's success stems from the support of the community.

"It's kind of like the circle of life. The people in this area support us, and it enables us to keep our exhibits fresh and well-maintained," Ms. Norman said. "If they have a great experience, they'll come back and keep supporting us."

Jeff and Penny Coleman of Lima, who took their 1-year-old grandson, Zander, to the zoo Thursday, said they were glad Lucas County voters supported the zoo with the levy.

They said they hope to take Zander back to visit Nature's Neighborhood.

Contact Gabe Nelson at:

gnelson@theblade.com

or 419-724-6076.

First Published June 16, 2008, 11:59 a.m.