Will BREC Move Zoo to Iberville Parish Line?

Now the Board of Commissioners of BREC is considering a plan to move the Baton Rouge Zoo from its home in North Baton Rouge to a site in the southern part of the parish, possibly near L’Auberge Casino on the Iberville Parish line — 22.7 miles and at least 34 minutes from the zoo’s present home near Baker.
It would be a major blow to North Baton Rouge and would put the zoo far from the population center of the parish. That particular site would also isolate the zoo from the Interstate. It is 8.6 miles of tough traffic congestion and at least 20 minutes driving time from L’Auberge to I-10 at Essen.
Moving the Baton Rouge Zoo out of North Baton Rouge is another wacky brainchild of the super wealthy secretive group known as the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. With more than $1 billion in assets and a real estate empire, the ostensibly non-profit, non-political BRAF calls many of the shots in Baton Rouge.
BRAF never met a tax it didn’t like. In fact, BRAF was the chief architect of Kip Holden’s $1 billion Alive Riverfront tax, the CATS tax, the Council on Aging tax, and the mental health tax, which would have gone to BRAF’s coffers. BRAF is the big player behind the opposition to incorporation of St. George and the Southeast school district. BRAF was also the architect of the Gay Rights “Fairness” ordinance rejected by the Metro Council.
As BRAF CEO John Davies says, “We’ve helped in a small way to advance a progressive [left-wing] agenda for Baton Rouge!” Indeed they have!
So now the $110 million plan to uproot the Baton Rouge Zoo from North Baton Rouge and send it perhaps as far away as the Iberville Parish line is in the hands of the Board of Commissioners of BREC while the unelected BRAF tries to call the shots from the sidelines.
North Baton Rouge and fiscal conservatives may complain but let’s face it, too often BRAF has the money and makes the rules!