UI law professor Nicolas Johnson's got a new editorial in the Des Moines Register pointing out the differences between Omaha's Henry Doorley Zoo and the fake rainforest in Coralville.

 

Some hard numbers:

 

"Omaha's adult admission, for numerous attractions, is $9.75. Coralville will charge $15 for a rain forest. Coralville's estimated construction cost: $180 million. Lied Jungle cost $15 million....

 

Coralville's capital mostly comes from federal, state and local taxpayers. And it's $90 million short. Not a single local benefactor has contributed. More than half of Omaha's attendance comes from "members." And they don't just visit. They finance its zoo projects - before construction begins. Half the Desert Dome's $31.5 million came from one donor."

 

He also points out the disparity in the population between the two areas, and plenty of other signs the Coralville project is at best poorly thought-through.