Brownsville negotiates to buy Cummings Middle School
The Gladys Porter Zoo hosted a forum Wednesday on its expansion plans after meeting with the city and school district to negotiate the purchase of Cummings Middle School.
In an interview Aug. 26, Brownsville Mayor John Cowen told The Rider about the importance and expectations of the zoo expansion.
“It was built over 50 years ago and, since then, the standards for operating and maintaining certain animal populations have changed,” Cowen said. “So, the bigger animals that we currently have–the lions, tigers, gorillas, bears–all require a lot more space.”
He said the purchase would be a “win-win” for the city and the Brownsville Independent School District.
Cowen said the expansion is needed because, to keep the accreditation for the zoo, it needs to expand and not lose the animals it currently houses.
The Cummings building houses the BISD Career & Technical Education program, which “prepares students for career pathways in the global marketplace by offering experiential learning, postsecondary credits and industry certifications,” according to its website.
Cowen said the district is working toward building a new, state-of-the-art facility for the CTE.
“I think the city’s committed to providing, you know, that market value and helping relocate the equipment to a new facility,” he said.
Gladys Porter Zoo Executive Director and CEO Patrick Burchfield said residents can expect an increase of tourism and new job opportunities.
“People need places for recreation, for children and themselves, so it’s a quality of life improvement,” Burchfield said.
In an October 2022 article, The Rider reported that the expansion would include a new zoo “entrance, retail, dining, office spaces and a four-story parking garage that would accommodate the zoo, resaca retail and Mitte Cultural District.”
Other additions would include new exhibits featuring animals, such as giraffes and cheetahs. A 125-room-themed hotel is also proposed for the area, according to the article.
City Manager Helen Ramirez told The Rider explained how the Gladys Porter Zoo, BISD and the City of Brownsville are working together for the expansion plan.
“Gladys Porter Zoo gets about 450,000 visitors a year and is the only zoo south of San Antonio,” Ramirez said. “It’s also an accredited zoo by the American Zoological Association.”
She said the zoo is considered a city park and its expansion is not only for the zoo but also for a public space.
“The city is not only helping, it is actually offering to purchase above their market value,” Ramirez said about the city’s help in purchasing the BISD building. “… We also paid for a feasibility plan because it looked at different options of where they wanted to locate.
“CTE can grow and expand and have more students because right now they have a problem with the capacity. They have a waiting list.”
She said negotiations are still ongoing, but they hope to have an agreement by today’s Brownsville City Commission meeting and give the final disclosure on the final cost.
