Turtle Back Zoo Improvements: Expanded Cafe, Bison Exhibit In West Orange

West Orange, NJ - Essex County officials recently announced the opening of two new renovations at the Turtle Back Zoo – an expanded café and bison exhibit.

On Thursday, Essex County officials provided details about the new additions to the zoo, which saw more than 750,000 visitors in 2015.

SAVANNA CAFÉ

The zoo’s expanded, two-story Savanna Café – a $6.66 million renovation - is more than three times as large as Turtle Back’s old cafeteria building, according to a news release.

Essex County officials said that the café has a first-floor dining area that is about 9,125 square feet with seating for 106 people, a second floor dining area that has an enclosed 2,000-square-foot dining area, and an outdoor terrace that is about 5,125 square feet, with total seating for 266 people.

The second floor also has a bar area that can be used for private parties and events.

“The new building was constructed over the footprint of the old one-story Zoo Café, which was just a 5,000-square-foot building with a walk-up counter to order food and limited indoor seating,” county officials stated.

Newark-based Greg Comito Associates received a $295,000 contract to design the Savanna Café. East Orange-based John O’Hara Co. was awarded a publicly bid contract for $6,661,907 to construct the facility.

BISON EXHIBIT

County officials also announced that changes were made to the bison exhibit located in the Great Plains area. According to a news release, renovations include:

• The footprint of the exhibit was enlarged to create a raised boardwalk viewing area that will enable visitors to get closer to see the animals
• The façade of the animal holding area was updated with a stone facing
• A glass wall was installed so that there are no obstructions to see into the exhibit area

“We are always looking for new ways to enhance our visitors’ experience when they come to Turtle Back Zoo,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said. “The bison exhibit is one of our largest, and the changes we made will help our guests get a closer and unobstructed view of these gentle giants.”

Wall-based French and Parrello designed the improvements to the exhibit as part of an existing contract. East Newark-based Zenith Construction Services was awarded a publicly bid contract for $549,900 to perform the construction work.

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Photo by Glen Frieson