The Milwaukee County Zoo's colony of Humboldt penguins has new digs.

Construction recently wrapped on a new penguin habitat near the zoo entrance, with 30,000 square feet of tank space and upgraded systems that will save water and lower temperatures during the summer, allowing more exhibiting time for the penguins.

The project was funded through a $3.5 million tourism grant from the state and approximately $1.5 million from the county. The state grant used funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which allowed for spending on tourism projects.

"We submitted a grant to enhance the front entrance to our zoo and make a statement about the care and the well being of our animals with an outstanding exhibit," said zoo director Amos Morris said during a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, Dec. 11. "And I think we pulled that off."

The state was represented at the ribbon cutting by Diana Maas, assistant deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration. Penguins are a huge draw to the zoo, which has more than one million visitors a year, Maas noted.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley called the zoo an economic, educational and cultural asset for the county, adding that the new penguin habitat brings the experience to "the next level."

The new habitat is also part of a broader redevelopment of the zoo, which has included more than $16 million in combined county and philanthropic funding for a new elephant exhibit and another $23.1 million for a new rhino exhibit. The private funding for both projects was raised by the Zoological Society of Milwaukee

Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson, a former fourth grade teacher, said her students' favorite field trip was the Milwaukee County Zoo.

"The collaboration between local and state government shows what we can achieve when we work together," Nicholson said. "Like penguins, we are working to care for the generations that come after us."

However, the penguin project hit a rough patch when a drafting error sent zoo officials to Nicholson's colleagues on the board for more funding. Supervisors were upset when zoo officials informed them a design change would cost the county $1.5 million. The sand filters were too big for the penguin exhibit's utility building and a new building needed to be constructed to hold them, according to zoo officials.

The new habitat will take center stage next month, now that the county has started using Humboldt penguins for its annual Groundhog Day ceremony following the death of Gordy the Gopher.