Monroe County Executive Adam Bello laid out his “four pillars” for moving the county forward during his annual State of the County address Thursday night.
Those pillars are Economic and Workforce Development, Public Safety, Public Health and Wellness and Infrastructure.
In furtherance of those goals, Bello is proposing a $121 million investment into the Seneca Park Zoo including a huge aquarium as well as the largest indoor tropics complex of its kind in the nation. The zoo would also have a new front entry and a conference center added.
Bello proposed a two percent raise and retention incentive for county workers. He had already proposed $8.5 million to hire 11 new deputies for the Monoe County Sheriff’s Office to fight the rise in street violence in Rochester and the suburbs.
Bello also wants to make a $10 million investment in county parks, including building an ice rink at Ontario Beach Park and additions to the Black Creek and Mendon Ponds Parks