From William Young, III-Founder of Aquarium for Pensacola:
Our economic strength and future lives, breathes and grows by virtue of our clean beaches and Gulf waters. Grounded on that premise, conversion (recycling) of the downtown wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) into a multiuse aquatic center is a practical cost-effective approach to our economic development. It provides multifold benefits to our economy, environment and our children – our future.
Some of the multi-uses include:
- World-class aquarium and marine research
- Marine mammal and sea turtle rehabilitation
- Endangered species breeding
- Aquaculture research and demonstration
- Educational resource for City, County and local schools
- Achilles Diver’s (local chapter of Diveheart); diving experience for physically impaired
- Tie-in with Oriskany and Green Shores projects; kiosks providing interpretive; videos showing projects’ construction; video cams stationed on Oriskany for live-stream coverage onto monitor next to ocean-reef exhibit
- “Living Trophies†interactive program; kiosk for visitors to book charter diving/fishing trips; catch donated to stock aquarium
The uses could be added in multi-phases or in a “pay as you go†development approach.  Multi-uses in the center’s development increases potential funding sources, including federal appropriations, oil spill recovery funds, private and corporate donations and grants.  There are many aquatic needs that the center could provide for which operation funding to meet those needs could be obtained through grants.
There is a great need for monitoring and research of the long term effects of the oil spill on the Gulf ecosystem. There is a big aquaculture development grants initiative underway by the US National Marine Fisheries Service. There is an increasing demand for rehabilitation of stranded dolphins and sea turtles. In the winter of 2010 (pre- BP oil spill) over 2,000 sea turtles were rescued from the Northern Gulf and recently there have been a number of incidents of dolphin stranding’s and mortalities in the Northern Gulf. Also, there are many wounded veterans returning from war with disabilities that would benefit from an Achilles Diver’s facility.
The marine research center could serve a national consortium of colleges and universities conducting such research. Dauphin Island Sea Lab serves an Alabama consortium of 24 colleges and universities. Just think of the number of colleges and universities the center could serve.
The aquarium could serve as guardian of the Gulf and provide education and outreach of the many environmental issues facing the Gulf. It could inform visitors of the research conducted at the center and provide support for it.
Use of the existing infrastructure saves $millions in center’s construction cost, construction time and plant’s demolition costs. Approximately one-third the overhead cost of the Georgia Aquarium is artificial salt water. Use of bay water greatly reduces overhead cost. The value of the property and infrastructure could be used to leverage/match $millions in grant money.
According to a preliminary feasibility study by Marinescape, Inc., premiere developer of world-class aquariums, with $15 million, a developer using just four acres of the nineteen-acre site could construct an aquarium that would stand toe-to-toe with those in Pattaya, Kuala Lumpur, and St. Petersburg. This is sized to expected visitation using data provided by UWF Haas Center and the Tourism Bureau.
Marinescape converted Auckland, New Zealand’s WWTP to a walk-through aquarium. It increased Auckland’s tourism by one additional night stay and was voted runner-up as the world’s best new attraction. Pre-Ivan, Gulf Islands National Seashore drew 5.5 million visitors a year and for the same reason visitors would be drawn to an aquatic center.
Some aquariums are subsidized, but they give back multifold to their community’s economy. Chattanooga’s Tennessee Aquarium is responsible for creating 1600 direct jobs, $133 million in direct and indirect spending within the first year and over 100 new businesses within a few blocks a few years of opening. Tampa’s Florida Aquarium is probably the worst case example, but its economic impact averages 2.5 times its annual budget and has reduced its subsidy (from one $million to $400,000). It revitalized the surrounding area that technically it no longer qualifies as an enterprise zone; luxury condos sprouted all around it. There are many more success stories.
I implore Mayor Hayward and the Council, in cooperation with the County, to halt the demolition of the plant and form a delegation to find funding for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and not squander it.