The Florida
Keys Wild Bird Center in Tavernier is on the search for a new home and
Monroe County is expecting to help. The owner of their current location sold
the property back in December 2013, resulting in the center being required to
relocate. The Wild Bird Center, currently located at an oceanside building
along mile marker 94, is now looking to move to a bayside building at mile
marker 92. The plan is to purchase the
building and Monroe County is expected to help.
The county has been asked to allocate $265,000 in tourism dollars
to help fund the relocation of the bird hospital. It has been noted that no
opposition to the proposal for assistance has been heard, so the funds are
expected to be approved by the county. The money is expected to cover half the
cost of the new location, with fundraising to be done by the Wild Bird Center
for the rest. The Center has indicated that if there is not enough fundraising
to cover their half, they can also dip into center reserves to cover their half
of the purchase dollars. As the relocation is a must based on the sale of their
current property, this is just the type of thing the reserves are meant to be
there for.
There were no plans before the sale of
their current location to move, so now the Wild Bird Center must make plans and
find funding where ever possible. As a nonprofit, there have been grant
requests submitted along with seeking donations to help achieve the move as
well. Monroe County is looking to be one such donor, with the idea that the new
center will also help bring in more tourists. The new location will not only be
a wild bird hospital for Key West, but it will also include an education center to highlight the other
aspect of the Key West Wild Bird Center, their sanctuary for injured birds. The
sanctuary, located separately from the hospital, will be staying where it is.
The education center to be added to the hospital will be built to showcase the
great impact the bird sanctuary offers. With the education center, the hospital
will be more open and accessible to bird loving tourists and give the center a
higher profile in the area.
Helping the Key West wild bird
population has long been the goal of the Wild Bird Center and their new location
will help them expand on what they can do for birds and our community. If your goals
include finding a new home of your own, or have a home to sell in the Key West
area, please contact me, Jimmy
Lane,
for all of your real
estate
needs
Labels: jimmy lane, Key West Wild Bird Center, Tavernier
