Zoo lights attraction a concern for neighbors
Seattle -- The Woodland Park Zoo flipped the switch on its new holiday event called WildLights Friday night. There are 375,000 LED lights on display thru January 1st, but not everyone is excited about the new attraction. Diane Duthweiler is the President of the Phinney Ridge Community Council and lives near the zoo. She represents a handful of neighbors concerned about the new electric attraction nearby. "The thing we find problematic about WildLights is that it's a 40 night event. At commuter hours. Starting early enough that there are kids coming home from school activities,” Duthweiler said. Duthweiler also said the lights might snarl traffic and cause parking problems. Jim Bennett has been the Director of Marketing at the Woodland Park Zoo for almost a decade. He says this concept didn't come about with the flip of a switch. "It's something we've been kicking around for a long time. We're finally doing it,” Bennett said. Bennett understands that some residents aren't happy about the new attraction. He said the zoo is working with them. Still, Duthweiler said when she moved here she didn't have such a wild and rowdy neighbor. "When I moved in 20 years ago they didn't have these kind of events and they keep adding events and adding events,” Duthweiler said.