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A crowd packed the back of the Onondaga County Legislature on Aug. 2. Neon signs in hand, the group opposed an $85 million proposal to build an aquarium in Syracuse’s inner harbor adjacent to Onondaga Lake. The proposal passed 9-8 in favor of funding the aquarium with Democrats and Republicans ending up on either side of the vote.

Though the fight won’t be over until shovels hit the ground, said Tara Sandlin, a member of the Syracuse Party for Socialism and Liberation as well as a senior at Syracuse University.

Many activists who opposed the aquarium believe the $85 million price tag could be better spent addressing issues within Syracuse, such as its high rates of child poverty, housing instability and
lead contamination. But following the aquarium’s approval, those same activists are split on whether there’s anything they can do about it.

State Senator Rachel May, like many other Democrats in the county, also opposes the aquarium. She called the legislature’s decision to approve the spending for the aquarium “rash.”

“So I understand the desire for Syracuse to have nice things,” May said, “(but) given that we’ve been in the news for having the worst child poverty in the country and serious problems with lead pipes … I feel like there are fundamental things we need to do first.”

May believes that the aquarium is not a completely done deal.

“There’s that decision by the legislature but there still has to be a lot of detailed planning and a number of further decisions to be made,” May said. “You never know something’s really going to happen until there are shovels in the ground.”

Image courtesy of QPK Design

The Syracuse PSL has been vocal in its opposition to the aquarium project. Days after the project passed, the organization began posting a graphic of members of the Onondaga County Legislature as clown fish across the city and on social media.

“There are a lot of folks who think that ‘well it was voted on so it’s decided,’” Sandlin said. “The PSL firmly believes that until the ground has been broken, it can still be stopped and those funds can be diverted.”

Joe Heath, legal counsel for the Onondaga Nation, told Central Currents there is no support for the aquarium project within the nation. The legislature should have instead used the money from the aquarium to raise people out of poverty, Heath told The Daily Orange.

Heath said he wasn’t sure what options the Onondaga Nation had left to fight the aquarium. The best option, Heath continued, would be to join others within the county to make the legislature more responsive to their pleas. Heath wants the legislature to understand that they have made a dramatic mistake.

“I don’t know of any other options at this point,” he said.

The Syracuse PSL will be engaging in a series of different ways to disrupt the process from the aquarium’s passing in the legislature until its possible construction.

Megan Thompson | Digital Design Director

The organization has already launched a petition to stop the aquarium’s construction and invest its funding into public housing. As of 10:50 p.m. on Aug. 21, the petition has 272 signatures.

“It is high time that the people of Onondaga County be treated with the dignity they deserve!” the petition’s opening statement concludes.

Sandlin also said the group will be organizing rallies regarding the aquarium’s construction. The organization has already staged one following the project’s approval. On Aug. 14, the Syracuse PSL stood outside the county building, voicing their objections through a megaphone.

While both May and Sandlin believe the aquarium could possibly be stopped, the two differ on how far they should go to stop the project. Sandlin, along with the Syracuse PSL, said the organization is willing to go to the aquarium’s future site to disrupt its construction.

May, though, said once the aquarium is completely finalized, she does not want to act as an obstacle for the project.

“If it’s going to go forward, I want it to succeed,” she said. “I don’t want to be undermining it once it becomes a reality.”

Along with taking public action, Sandlin said Syracuse PSL will canvass sentiment about the aquarium. The organization will then present their findings publicly, potentially through a video, Sandlin said.

“The main thing is getting the county’s attention,” Sandlin said. “They didn’t want to hear people’s feedback before so we’re trying our darndest to make sure they’re gonna hear people’s feedback now.”

Published on August 21, 2022 at 10:46 pm

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard