VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach City Council shared during Tuesday's meeting that they reached an agreement with the Virginia Aquarium to continue their partnership.
The council says an evaluation that was done a few months ago found that the aquarium needs roughly $200 to $300 million for repairs, maintenance and expansion.
“That was the aquarium’s initial ask. It’s been reduced to about $60 million,” Councilman Chris Taylor said.
During the meeting, Taylor said the city auditor advised the council to address two major issues moving forward: low morale stemming from concerns about future of aquarium and concerns about longevity of building.
Watch previous coverage: Future ownership of Va. Aquarium hangs in the balance as city discusses funding
The concerns the city auditor is referencing were the focus of a months-long discussion on ownership of the aquarium—which is jointly run by the city and the Virginia Aquarium Foundation.
During a meeting in March, councilmembers debated if funding the aquarium is sustainable, noting that the city gives nearly $8 million to the aquarium each year. However, councilmembers also shared concerns about losing the educational and environmental value the aquarium provides.
The city owns the aquarium building, but its aging infrastructure requires some much-needed maintenance, the council said.
Watch related coverage: Virginia Aquarium named one of the top places for families to visit to nationwide
In the following months, the council floated ideas on how to keep the aquarium running, including potentially having a private entity take over the aquarium's operations. The city also conducted an extensive review of the aquarium's finances and operations.
Watch related coverage: A behind-the-scenes look at how the Virginia Aquarium takes care of its beautiful animals
Although the decision was reached to continue the partnership between the city and the aquarium, Taylor aired his frustrations about the lack of transparency from city leadership during the months in which they debated the aquarium's future.
"I will be supporting the foundation's desire to do exactly what they asked us to do a year ago: slow down and listen to their concerns, slow down and collaborate with them," said Taylor. "We ignored them and we went in a direction that today, we are now trying to rewrite. And so this is going to be more money. This is going to be additional efforts from staff."
Taylor says to streamline communication between the aquarium and the city, there now will be a city council liaisons who will work with the aquarium's foundation and attend their meetings. He says that liaisons will report back to the rest of city council with updates on the aquarium. Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson and City Councilman Worth Remick will serve as city council liaisons to the aquarium.
