City Issues Juan's Eviction Notice

Juan the Zoomars Petting Zoo dinosaur has received his official eviction notice.

A day after the City Council declined to grant the Apatosaurus statue a stay of execution, the city fired off a letter, giving Zoomars owner Carolyn Franks 30 days to remove him (or her, it’s never been determined) from the property.

“Please be advised that the Apatosaurus (dinosaur) statue must be removed by from the property within thirty (30) days, no later than Friday, May 3 at 1 p.m.,” wrote Grant Taylor, director of development services for the city in an April 3 letter.

“I am trying to make some arrangements now, but it is killing me to do so as the zoo has been flooded with people and reporters asking why the city would take an innocent dinosaur away from children,” Franks told Patch. “As one mother put it, ‘It's heartless.’ "

Franks said she will abide by the decision. She said she still has trouble squaring away how two supposed property-rights conservatives, refering to councilmen Roy Byrnes and Derek Reeve, could reject Juan.

The final vote was 2-2, with Mayor John Taylor not voting because he lives in the Los Rios Historic District. A tie is effectively a denial.

“The whole thing is just so upsetting for everyone, and I can tell you that the majority of residents in this city, many who have come down to see us, are sadly disappointed by this outcome,” Franks said.

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