Councilors Tour New Tulsa Zoo Exhibit Re-Do

A more than $2 million engineering mistake had Tulsa Zoo officials and city councilors scrambling this summer, working to figure out who was responsible and how to cover the cost.

While those questions remain, the new Lost Kingdom project is quickly coming together. The new addition’s construction was meant to be the crown jewel of the zoo, but it almost turned into a nightmare.

With intricate stone work, the Lost Kingdom exhibit at the Tulsa Zoo looks like something out of an Indiana Jones film.

Tulsa City Councilor David Patrick said, "That is my first impression, it's, ‘Wow! In Tulsa?!’”

Wednesday, the Tulsa City Council got a sneak peek at the project and left their mark before the finishing touches are made.

Patrick represents the zoo's district and said he's excited for the project to get finished.

"This is going to be a game changer for this whole region," he said.

But while the construction looks right on track now, back in February, things weren't looking so bright. Due to a surveying error, the initial construction had been built two feet below the flood plain level, forcing crews to scrap some of the work.

The result was a more than $2 million fix.

10/13/2016 Related Story: Error Adds $2M To Construction Project At Tulsa Zoo

However, zoo officials have reassured the City that taxpayers won't be impacted and are currently working out who's responsible.

"We're just getting into mediation to figure out the cost of that issue, but we're moving forward. The donors have been wonderful, we've redrawn the plans and we're still going to open in May of 2017,” said zoo spokeswoman Lindsay Hutchison.

Patrick said, "We have a contingency fund set up for these type of things that happen like that, so, with some donors stepping up, we're going to be in good shape."

And with the look on visitors’ faces, so far, the Lost Kingdom is already proving to be more than expected.

The exhibit will include several types of exotic animals - like the Malaysian Tiger, Red Panda, snow leopard and several other species the zoo hasn't had on display before.