ONONDAGA COUNTY — Last week, the Onondaga County Legislature narrowly approved a proposal to build a 600,000-gallon aquarium on Syracuse’s Inner Harbor. The 9-8 vote was a victory for Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, who has advocated for the $85 million project for about a year.
The Aug. 2 vote largely fell along party lines, with eight Republicans and one Democrat voting in favor of the aquarium. However, three Republicans — Majority Leader Brian May, Ken Bush Jr. and Tim Burtis — broke with their GOP colleagues and voted against the proposal along with five Democrats. Charles Garland was the lone Democrat on the legislature to vote for the aquarium.
Onondaga County Legislature Chair James Rowley (R-2nd District, Clay) said in a statement provided by the Legislature Republican Caucus that the aquarium is “going to be a huge benefit to the community.”
May, who represents the 1st District (Lysander), told Eagle Newspapers that he too is “confident the aquarium will benefit the community” in terms of “increased tourism, growth along the Inner Harbor, increased sales tax revenue, education for students and improved quality of life options for families.”
However, May had enough doubts about the proposal to cast a no vote.
“These benefits were attractive enough for some colleagues to favor the project, but they weren’t quite enough to earn my vote,” he said. “After filtering all of the politically motivated noise and truly evaluating the aquarium proposal on its merits, I had concerns with the sustainability of the business model, future capital expenses and the conspicuous absence of support from the city of Syracuse.”
The county is looking to break ground on the aquarium next year with a target completion date of 2024. Much of the funding for the project could come from the county’s $89 million share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money from the federal government.
According to the Onondaga County Aquarium Feasibility Study, released in October 2021, the 80,000-square-foot aquarium could draw between 400,000 and 570,000 visitors each year. The study assumes an adult admission ticket price of $21.95 with discount options for seniors, students and military servicemembers. The aquarium could generate as much as $12 million in annual revenue.
“The stable year earned revenue potential for the Onondaga County Aquarium is $10.4 million in current dollar value. Earned revenue would be supplemented by a variety of non-earned or contributed revenues such as gifts, grants, endowment proceeds and gifts-in-kind that are assumed at $1.6 million,” reads the study.
The feasibility study also estimates the annual operating expenses would be $11.3 million.
Legislator Debra Cody (R-5th District, Salina, Clay) sponsored the Aug. 2 resolution.
“This was not an easy vote, but ultimately, the vote is about using surplus funds on an educational and tourism attraction that I believe will grow and enhance our community, so I am choosing to put my faith in this vision for Onondaga County,” Cody said in the GOP Caucus statement.
While Cody is hoping the aquarium will attract visitors to the hotels and restaurants in Salina, the aquarium is not her only hope for economic development in her district. Cody and the GOP Caucus hinted at a “proposed chip plant at the White Pine Commerce Park” in Clay, saying “an announcement on a big name tenant for the site could come at any time.”
“The benefit to the entire county is that new sales tax revenue will be generated, which enables us to keep property taxes down,” she said of the aquarium. “And the potential for a major investment in the town of Clay could be imminent, bringing a huge influx of new residents and dollars to the county.”
Ken Bush Jr. (R-13th District, Camillus, Elbridge, Van Buren) said the “vast majority” of constituents with whom he had spoken were opposed to the aquarium.
“Most felt if an aquarium was so needed and wanted, that the private sector should first lead the way with fundraising before any tax dollars were spent. That being stated, the bottom line for me and my vote was: who do I represent?” Bush told Eagle Newspapers. “With my no vote I believe I kept the faith with the people in the 13th who spoke out loud and clear to me about the wise use of tax dollars, the issue of vote swapping for a bag of political goodies, the influence of special interests, the ‘go along to get along’ mentality. It is sad for many in the community that this project will always carry the stain and reminder of governing at its worst.”
Bush’s swipe at “vote swapping” likely refers to Garland pledging his support after McMahon promised a $4.5 million housing investment on the Southside of Syracuse, located in Garland’s 16th District.
Despite his no vote on the aquarium, May said he hopes the project is successful.
“Though I thought we could have done better yesterday, I am truly hopeful for the project’s success — for taxpayers and the well-being of our community,” May said.
“I think everyone needs to respect the process and respect the legislators’ decisions. Let’s come together as a community and enjoy this new attraction that we’re going to have in a couple of years,” Rowley said.
