City moves forward with $113M aquarium project with sharks, rays

A massive new project to expand the Seattle Aquarium took an important step forward Monday, as the aquarium aims to raise $113 million in funds from the city, state, county, and private donors for its Ocean Pavilion.

“Why is this new project needed?” KIRO 7 reporter Linzi Sheldon asked CEO Bob Davidson.

"As we look at the attendance here -- about 45 days of the current year -- we're at what we consider to be maximum capacity,” Davidson said. “So if you came with your family to the aquarium on one of those days, it would be pretty tough.”

It was just 11 years ago that the aquarium completed an 18,000-square-foot, $42 million expansion, funded equally by the city of Seattle and the Greater Seattle Aquarium Society. That, Davidson said, increased annual attendance from 600,000 to 800,000.

To alleviate some of the crowding, Davidson wants to build the Ocean Pavilion, a 48,000 square-foot building that would allow crowds to flow from Pike Place Market down to the rooftop of the new building and ultimately to street level.

Documents filed with the city council show plans for about $60 million from private donors; $19 million from federal, state, and county sources, and $34 million from the city of Seattle.

“How do you make the case for this project when there are so many demands on public funds?” Sheldon asked.

“So first of all, there's no question there are huge demands,” Davidson said. “There are always huge demands and if we decided to be paralyzed by not taking advantage of huge new opportunities for the city, we wouldn't have a symphony hall. We wouldn't have an opera house. We wouldn’t have the existing aquarium or the zoo. As a city, and as a community, we have to balance all of these things and recognize that we’re not simply dealing with the problems of today. We’re dealing with the citizens of the future.”

The Ocean Pavilion would house a 300,000 gallon tank, which would be home to rays and several types of large sharks. Right now, the aquarium has dogfish, which are a small type of shark. The project would be part of a focus not just on Puget Sound but also the Pacific Ocean.

“What we’re now realizing is that the health of Puget Sound depends upon the health of the ocean,” he said. “And that’s an urgent message.”

KIRO 7 showed the plans to visitors at the aquarium.

“My daughter would love that,” Joni Stewart said.

Shyla Butler, who was visiting with her son, Demeko, for his fourth birthday, said the money is an investment in young minds.

“I think helping that out a little bit more -- isn't that what we're here for? To help build our next generation,” she said.

Not everyone is pleased. Seattle resident Jonathan Mark spoke out during public comment at Monday afternoon’s city council meeting.

“We know that we don’t have enough shelter,” he said. “We don’t have affordable housing. And this is $34 million that could be going to the most urgent problems we have, such as homelessness.”

Council members approved a memorandum of understanding, saying that amount is a possible commitment. It has not been set aside just yet, a spokesperson told KIRO 7.

In the meantime, the city will spend close to $5 million, matched by the aquarium, on design work.

The aquarium hopes to begin construction on the Ocean Pavilion in 2021 and open the new facility by the end of 2023.

Cox Media Group