GRAND RAPIDS, MI — As John Ball Zoo eyes a former landfill as the site of a large-scale aquarium, Kent County leaders have questions to consider if the zoo asks the county to sign onto the project as a partner.
That includes the potential of environmental liability tied to the site under consideration, a 190-acre property in the Grand Rapids suburb of Walker, home to the former Fenske landfill along the Grand River.
Other county due diligence could center on public financing, the aquarium’s ownership and governance structure, and the feasibility of a $100 million private fundraising campaign led by the zoo, according to a Kent County document obtained by MLive/The Grand Rapids Press through the Freedom of Information Act…