Bigger, with more bears: Officials unveil plans for Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma plans a big improvement to the aquarium part of the facility.

Zoo officials are planning a bigger aquarium to replace the aquarium that was built in 1963 and is showing signs of corrosion from salt water.

Officials also plan an expansion of the polar bear exhibit in the Rocky Shores section. It's currently home to three neutered males, and the zoo hopes to add more bears and begin breeding them.

The News Tribune reports officials have scheduled a series of meeting over the next couple of months for public comment on the plans as they develop.

The project will be funded with $65 million that voters approved last year in a bond measure.

The new aquarium could open by mid-2018.