GRAND RAPIDS, MI —Grand Rapids leaders quietly met last summer under the codename “Tokyo” to craft a strategy promoting downtown as the site for John Ball Zoo’s proposed aquarium over a competing location in Walker, records show.
Mayor David LaGrand’s office convened at least two meetings in July and September to discuss site selection, funding, outreach and political strategy, according to documents obtained by MLive through the Freedom of Information Act.
“How do we get Peter (zoo) off the site in Walker?” a July 31 meeting document asks, referring to zoo CEO Peter D’Arienzo and the former Fenske Landfill in Walker, a potential site for the aquarium…