VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. —
The future of the Virginia Aquarium is still unclear, and on Tuesday afternoon, Virginia Beach City Council members debated over how funding discussions for the facility have been handled.
During a Tuesday work session, council members heard from Relevant Strategies and Solutions’ Rick Biddle. His firm, which works extensively with zoos and aquariums, was contracted by the city to facilitate the next steps in the planning process.
“There’s 245 accredited zoos and aquariums out there, and there’s 245 different models,” Biddle said at the beginning of his presentation. He added, “the aquarium has great bones, and that’s a good thing. There are some deferred maintenance issues, but they can be addressed.”
Mayor Bobby Dyer stressed the importance of coming up with a concrete plan for the aquarium’s future before seeking public input. He explained, “once we come up with some plans or viable options, that’s the time to bring the public in, not at the beginning stages."
Meanwhile, council member Barbara Henley claimed the city hasn’t been transparent with the public or the aquarium foundation.
“I never want to be part of anything like this ever again,” she stated. “We’ve all but destroyed them, and for all that they’ve provided the city over the last 40 years, I am just sick.” She addressed Biddle, saying, “if we can pull this out, it would be a miracle; you’ve got to be a miracle worker.”
The city owns and operates the aquarium facility, while the aquarium foundation owns the animals and exhibits. There are questions on how the city should proceed with its funding, as the 40-year-old site needs maintenance. Mayor Dyer told the council, “in very tough economic times, it’s tough to generate moneys that we need to do what we need to do.”
Biddle offered that recent staffing issues may be a byproduct of the industry after several council members raised questions about morale.
“I can’t speak to morale, but there’s a lot of movement and we recruit within the industry,” he said. Suzanne Savage, the aquarium foundation’s chief development officer resigned recently.
Henley disputed that claim, saying recent departures are a direct result of the uncertain future. She said, “the resignations that are occurring are because of people looking for another job where they can have security because they’re afraid the city no longer cares about them.”
Among the potential plans for the aquarium includes a proposal to bring a private third party in. The companies that own Dollywood and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! have both expressed interest in the facility.