$1M grant to acquire sea creatures for Syracuse’s aquarium approved
The Onondaga Civic Development Corporation approved a $1 million grant for Friends of the Onondaga Aquarium to acquire sea creatures for the project. The aquarium was approved in 2022 with an $85 million estimated budget. Wasim Ahmad I Daily Orange File Photo
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The Onondaga Civic Development Corporation approved a $1 million grant to Friends of the Onondaga Aquarium on Monday, which will be used to purchase animals for the new Syracuse aquarium.
The ODCD grant will go toward a $4.2 million startup budget for the aquarium’s 2026 operations, syracuse.com reported.
The Onondaga County Legislature approved the aquarium project in August 2022 with an estimated construction budget of $85 million. Now, the project is projected to cost $100 million.
The $1 million grant comes a year after ODCD granted a $250,000 grant in Oct. 2024, which “far exceed” amounts usually given to a single recipient, syracuse.com reported.
Overseen by ZoOceanarium Group, the estimated 80,000 square foot aquarium will include 600,000 gallon tanks, attract roughly 490,000 visitors and pull in $12 million a year, 570 WYSR reported.
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon established Friends of the Onondaga Aquarium as a nonprofit foundation to raise private donations for the aquarium in August 2024. In March, the county legislature voted to use private contributions for construction costs after lawmakers approved $85.4 million in county funds.
To supplement the project’s $15 million budget increase, McMahon previously allocated $9 million to the project with reallocated county funds, syracuse.com reported. Friends of the Onondaga Aquarium has also allotted another $2.7 million for construction from private donations.
The project is still short a few million dollars for construction costs, and needs around $3 million for its startup budget.
William Gilberti, chairman of Friends of the Onondaga Aquarium, said construction will be completed in six to eight months. The organization is focused on stocking the facility with animals from both fresh and saltwater habitats.
However, many of the animals are difficult to obtain, as many have specific guidelines for conservation and transportation, ZoOceanarium managing director Chris Davis said in a statement to syracuse.com.
The OCDC grant’s announcement follows controversy among lawmakers and local advocates who have raised environmental, transparency and budgetary concerns about the project.
CNY Solidarity Coalition currently has a petition denouncing the aquarium’s construction that has over 1,000 signatures.
The petition states the aquarium project ignores regional issues such as poverty, a lack of mental health services, affordable housing, investment in public transportation and education.
“Aquariums are a risky bet financially and cause harm,” the petition states. “Residents generate most of the sales tax, not tourists.”
County legislators have also questioned the project’s funding transparency between lawmakers and Syracuse residents. Although he hopes the effort succeeds, Democratic County Legislator Maurice Brown said he is “worried” resident tax dollars are being used inappropriately.
“My fear is that it’s going to be a monument, or a landmark,” Brown said to CNY Central. “It’s going to be a visual representation of how we failed during this time period that we’re in right now.”
The aquarium is projected to be completed by July 2026.
