aquarium downtown

[WmNussbaum]

A few posters have suggested an aquarium for the Shipyards or some other location downtown. I think Jacksonville is not really up - financially - to having a real world class aquarium, and we're close enough to Big Apple - South (Atlanta) as to not really being able to compete. Also, the only place where we have enough room for something grand in the downtown area is to old Southside Generating land. But we could compete on another level and without the need for a large tract of land.

I recall a decently sized portion of the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago dedicated to smaller sea creatures, and it was fascinating. There is an abundance of them - anemones, sea urchins, jellyfish (Atlanta has a nice display), seahorses, small reef fish, and so on almost endlessly. A large number of tanks to hold such sea life would not require a lot of space - as with large fish. Done professionally, it could be a source of marine biology education and a tourist attraction.

No?

[thelakelander]

Sea World and the aquariums in Charleston and Tampa are closer than the one in Atlanta.

[ProjectMaximus]

And St Augustine might give it a go.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Yeah there are much closer aquariums and who said it had to be world class? The one in Tampa is a dump IMO.

[InnerCityPressure]

The one thing that would definitely work for the Jax commoner is that the admission price could be relatively low - $10 or so compared to the $30 admission in ATL or $60 admission at SeaWorld.  Obviously, you are not getting the same quality, but something tells me Jaxons would have an easier time paying for this than the high end version.  I think the same demographic (young families, school groups, animal lovers) that keeps the zoo afloat could afford an attraction like this.  I know I would be waiting in line to buy an annual pass for the family.

Hell, stick a bar/restaurant on the backside of an aquarium wall and I'm sure it will pull its weight and bring in a little extra cash at night.

[mtraininjax]

I have a fish tank with goldfish from Pet Supermarket, if we are making contributions here. That is about as close as Jax will get to an aquarium until Shad Khan decides to buy one for the City like Arthur Blank did in Atlanta.

[thelakelander]

I doubt Jacksonville residents alone could keep an aquarium afloat financially. Those things have to pull from a much larger audience.

[Coolyfett]

Gimmicks gimmicks gimmicks! Id hate to see Jacksonville be the 4th aqurium in the state...BoringMcYarnfest. People come up with something else please. I honestly don't know what could be better but, not another fish museum.

[Jdog]

I am totally with the last 2 posts. 

I've been pro the "small" things.

There have been prior options (oops) / but still are a lot:

-USS Adams
- The chocolate factory / tour spot (I know the history...too bad...I was for that option)
- Can't we just  (effectively) bring the stadiums downtown with a completed riverwalk?  Memorial Park connection?
- A kayak launch or two?
- Indian artificats had been found near the riverwalk and were going to be put on display on it...what happened?
- The Skyline Promenade (FWB) oops, again

Hitting for some singles is okay.

[mtraininjax]

Gimmicks gimmicks gimmicks! Id hate to see Jacksonville be the 4th aqurium in the state...BoringMcYarnfest. People come up with something else please. I honestly don't know what could be better but, not another fish museum.

Agreed, I would like to see a game changing idea come from ONESPARK for downtown and river use. I would like to see OneSPARK become the source of great ideas we vote on and then kickstart for completion. Yeah, they would need help from other sources, but if the PEOPLE want it to be done, so says the WILL of the people!

Agree, we don't need to copy every city and their ideas, just because they WORK there, we can be original in our ideas and execution. Even though Onespark was copied from another city, I still think its the most original idea to hit Jacksonville in 30 years!

[I-10east]

^^^+100

[urbanlibertarian]

COJ could make it easier and cheaper to start or maintain a small business downtown without spending a dime.  The problem with that is that they would have to give up some power so it's very unlikely to happen.

[mtraininjax]

^^^Where is the Mayor on all of this? He comes out for Onespark, then goes back in his hole never to be seen again with regard to downtown initiatives. He's quick to spend 43 million on video boards and pools. What has his administration done to  do just that, make it easier and cheaper to start or maintain a small business downtown?

2015 will be an interesting election. So many broken promises from 2011!

[edjax]

^^so do you see this as a problem with the current administration?  I know it has been going for years but Brown ran on a platform of improving downtown so it appears he has not helped much?? I believe these were also suggestions made by his transition team as I recall.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Maybe many of you know it all on here should run for office?