With his proposed $85 million aquarium project stalled, County Executive Ryan McMahon likened the aquarium to another once-doubted project: the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview.
He laid out the financial success of the amphitheater at a Thursday news conference and said the same people who doubted the amphitheater’s success are now doubting the aquarium project.
“They questioned whether the amphitheater would be a drain on the county budget year over year. These were the cynics,” McMahon said. “And I’m happy to say all the cynics were completely wrong.”
But County Legislator Mary Kuhn, a Democrat from DeWitt, said the projects are not comparable and that the money could be better spent in other ways.
Kuhn would rather see the money be spent on infrastructure or child poverty.
“It would be nice to address issues that have gone by the wayside,” Kuhn said.
McMahon, a Republican, Thursday said the profitability of the amphitheater will translate to the aquarium.
At the time that the amphitheater was proposed, its profitability was questioned.
Now, a gaming deal with the Oneida Nation is more than paying for the debt from the amphitheater and has led to a $6 million surplus. Sales tax from events at the amphitheater has led to revenue. Last year, the venue turned around nearly $350,000 in profit from 10 shows. He expects the more than 20 shows this year to turn around a larger profit.
Kuhn questioned the aquarium’s path to profitability, and said she hasn’t seen enough concrete information to support the project. She wondered whether the county or the operator would lose money if the aquarium doesn’t succeed.
Because the amphitheater project was paid for by bonds, it required a two-thirds majority -- 12 votes -- to pass. The aquarium would be paid for entirely by cash, requiring only a simple majority that McMahon still does not appear to have.
McMahon had asked the legislature to spend the money as part of the $1.4 billion 2022 budget that was approved in October. Instead, legislators voted to set the money aside and allow more time to consider it.
Onondaga County ended 2020 flush with cash after cutting spending and taking in more sales tax revenue than expected in the unpredictable market of the coronavirus pandemic. The county also received $89 million in federal money from the American Rescue Plan.
In December, the aquarium was pulled from the legislature’s agenda when it became clear there were not enough votes to pass it.
McMahon has said an aquarium at the Inner Harbor would fit in with the new amphitheater, the creek walk, the baseball stadium, Onondaga Lake Park and Destiny USA.
A consulting firm, which was paid $120,000 to study the concept, says the county should expect about 490,000 visitors each year. McMahon’s administration has argued an aquarium will boost tourism and generate income to spend on the county’s core mission. The county executive estimates it could result in $796,000 in annual sales and hotel tax revenue. Sales taxes make up 52% of Onondaga County’s budget.
Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati by phone at 585-290-0718 or by email at clibonati@syracuse.com.