The man behind the large African animal sculptures placed around Peoria last summer now wants to create a permanent, free art installation for the community.
Nic di Caro, a West Peoria investment manager who goes by the pseudonym "Monte de Gallo" when wearing his artist's hat, wants to raise $925,000 in private donations for the project.
The project would happen over three phases, each costing around $300,000. The final park would include eleven of di Caro's life-size metal animal sculptures, as well as areas for horseshoe games, disc golf, a wooden ship playground modeled after the Biblical Noah's Ark, and Bacci ball. The centerpiece would be a giant metal heart sculpture in the middle of a Zen garden.
Even if he doesn't raise the full near-million dollar amount, di Caro he'll proceed with a scaled-down version.
"I've kinda put myself out there, so to speak. My reputation's on the line. I'm building a luxury brand," he said. "And there's no really going back from here. So I either gotta do it, or I'm done. So I'm doing it."
While the start-up costs are high, di Caro said maintenance costs are low. The sculptures require metal lacquer every three years for maintenance at a total cost of about $1,500, he said.
"These things are no different than any building, or car, or human being for that matter," he said. "As they age, they change in their lo0k and appearance. It doesn't necessarily mean it looks bad."
He said he's eyeing two locations in Peoria and one in the county as the site for his "Safari Park." He's started a GoFundMe campaign, but hasn't organized into a formal non-profit.
He said he spoke with Peoria Park District officials about cooperating on the park idea, but said they wanted too much control over the project for his tastes.
Di Caro is a 2000 graduate of Pekin Community High School. He said he's lived in Chicago, California, and Italy, but he's drawn to Central Illinois.
"We have the same things, pretty much everything that Chicago has, but there's no traffic, and you can see the stars at night, because there's no smog like L.A.," he said. "So I like this area. I'm going to be here for a while."
Di Caro said he aims to have his park open for the public to explore for free by next June. He plans to break ground this year.
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