Dear Secretary Ash and Governor Baker,

As a resident of Stoneham I am appealing to you to release the capital funding, approved but not released by the Patrick Administration, to support the Stone Zoo. The Stone Zoo is a cultural and economic asset to our community but its accreditation is at risk. The zoo is an invaluable resource to the community. A loss of accreditation would translate to a major blow to local residents and to our local economy. Thousands of visitors come to the zoo on an annual basis and, after an enjoyable day, frequent our local business and restaurants. We depend on these visitors to support our recent efforts to revitalize our downtown.

I can't think of a community who would be more negatively impacted than ours. Further, the Stone Zoo offers educational programming and opportunities that could not be replaced by a text book. I thank you for your consideration of this urgent request.