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The Office of Staten Island Borough President
10/22/2025 | Press release | Archived content
Borough President Vito Fossella, Mayor Eric Adams Announce Joint Allocation To Staten Island Zoo
Borough President Vito Fossella and Mayor Eric Adams announced a joint $7M capital project to reconstruct the Children's Center of the Staten Island Zoointo a fully-accessible nature play and learning space.
"The Staten Island Zoo is a tremendously valuable institution and a cornerstone of the Staten Island youth experience, especially for kids to access and experience nature," said Borough President Fossella during a visit to the Zoo. "The backbone of the Staten Island Zoo is teaching people their place in a great big world and we are happy to play a role in expanding that experience."
A new Sensation Station will transform the Children's Center site into a "Sensory-Themed Nature Play & Animal Encounter" zone, which can be enjoyed by children of all developmental abilities and sensory tolerances. Children will be able to play and learn through interactive experiences. A new otter exhibit and Slotherium (for sloths, anteaters and armadillos) will be an attraction highlight.
This is the first update to the Children's Center since it was built in 1968.
"Staten Islanders deserve the benefits of offering a world-class education and cultural center, and with our joint investments toward the Staten Island Zoo, alongside Borough President Vito Fossella, we are helping to deliver just that," said Mayor Adams.
The project is the newest renovation plan for the Zoo, which serves over 175,000 visitors annually and over 20,000 school children in educational programs.
"Our re-imagined Children's Center will further our mission to foster appreciation for animals and natural areas, through the close-up nurturing experiences we provide our guests, especially children," said Kenneth Mitchell, the Zoo's executive director.
"The Staten Island Zoo is a tremendously valuable institution and a cornerstone of the Staten Island youth experience, especially for kids to access and experience nature," said Borough President Fossella during a visit to the Zoo. "The backbone of the Staten Island Zoo is teaching people their place in a great big world and we are happy to play a role in expanding that experience."
A new Sensation Station will transform the Children's Center site into a "Sensory-Themed Nature Play & Animal Encounter" zone, which can be enjoyed by children of all developmental abilities and sensory tolerances. Children will be able to play and learn through interactive experiences. A new otter exhibit and Slotherium (for sloths, anteaters and armadillos) will be an attraction highlight.
This is the first update to the Children's Center since it was built in 1968.
"Staten Islanders deserve the benefits of offering a world-class education and cultural center, and with our joint investments toward the Staten Island Zoo, alongside Borough President Vito Fossella, we are helping to deliver just that," said Mayor Adams.
The project is the newest renovation plan for the Zoo, which serves over 175,000 visitors annually and over 20,000 school children in educational programs.
"Our re-imagined Children's Center will further our mission to foster appreciation for animals and natural areas, through the close-up nurturing experiences we provide our guests, especially children," said Kenneth Mitchell, the Zoo's executive director.
The Office of Staten Island Borough President published this content on October 22, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on November 13, 2025 at 18:29 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]