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VIRGINIA BEACH — Time and saltwater have taken their toll on the aging Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center near the Oceanfront.
The nearly 40-year-old main building needs to be renovated, but where will the animals go during construction? An expansion first — and soon — will be necessary to hold them and keep the facility open during the major overhaul, Cynthia Whitbred-Spanoulis, aquarium president and CEO, told the City Council at a meeting this past week.
“Unlike other museums that don’t have that live animal collection, we can’t just drain those tanks to make those repairs or replacements,” she said. “We need a space to move these animals while we create and refresh their existing habitats.”
Virginia Aquarium is the third-most visited attraction in the state behind Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens theme parks, Whitbred-Spanoulis said. The city owns and operates the aquarium buildings and collects revenue from admissions, memberships and the gift shops.
Modernizing the exhibit spaces will be a big part of the expansion project and will allow for a new attraction: African penguins.
A new, two-story lobby will be big enough to host weddings and other events. Imagine saying vows in front of the shark tank, said Julie Hartunian, a design consultant hired by the city who shared details of the plans at the meeting.
The expansion and upgrades to the main building would take place in four phases over the next 10 years at an estimated cost of a whopping $200 million.
The alternative: Spend roughly $100 million on renovations while moving the animals to other institutions and closing the aquarium for several years, Whitbred-Spanoulis said.
Some of the exhibit spaces are reaching the end of their lifespan.
“We want to ensure structural integrity of all of our areas,” she said in a phone interview after the meeting. “These capital projects take years and years and years, and if we don’t start planning now, by the time we start having significant challenges, we‘ll be behind.”
The Virginia Aquarium contains more than 250 species — including mammals, fish, birds and reptiles. It provides $250 million in direct and indirect economic impact to the city annually and had 600,000 visitors last fiscal year, according to a recent study.
By renovating the building, attendance will increase because visitors will want to see the new space, said David Walsh, a consultant with Canopy Strategic Partners who was hired by the city to work on a feasibility study.
“The way they (the exhibits) are being proposed, the up-close feel, it’s definitely going to be attractive for people to come and see this aquarium,” he said.
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To get the ball rolling, Whitbred-Spanoulis asked council members to consider allocating $3.7 million in the upcoming budget for designing the first phase, which will include a parking garage across the street from the main building and a pedestrian bridge over General Booth Boulevard.
In the new design, visitors will enter the main building on the second floor, and the lobby will become a central meeting space surrounded by gallery spaces.
The sea turtle exhibit will be expanded and the African penguin gallery will include a rocky shore with nesting boxes, a shallow swimming area and a deep pool for diving.
City Manager Patrick Duhaney asked the City Council to weigh the project among a list of other priorities and to give his staff direction.
Mayor Bobby Dyer said the aquarium is a long-term, tangible amenity for the city.
“You’re looked upon favorable,” Dyer told Whitbred-Spanoulis. “And if there’s a way, be assured that Mr. Duhaney and company always find a way.”
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com