In August, the Onondaga County Legislature voted to approve plans to build an $85 million aquarium in Syracuse’s inner harbor. The plan, which county legislator Ryan McMahon proposed in 2021, passed narrowly in a 9-8 vote following nearly 10 months of intense debate.

While the creator(s) of the plan intended to benefit the local economy, the city made a mistake allocating millions of dollars that could have gone toward fighting high poverty, crime or substance abuse rates. If not these issues, the funds could be diverged to any other area for community improvement.

To the creators of the plan, the aquarium is part of an effort by the city to develop the area around Syracuse’s inner harbor. McMahon called the project “a catalyst for development moving forward” and part of an effort to “transform this neighborhood and continue the momentum that we’ve had with the cleanup of Onondaga Lake.”

Mayor Ben Walsh also weighed in during a mayoral debate last fall. “In addition to creating economic opportunity and jobs, it will be a force multiplier to enhance the uses and the viability of the land around it,” Walsh argued. Of all things that could bring economic momentum to the Syracuse community, McMahon and Walsh believe that an aquarium is the answer.

The aquarium is projected to bring in about half a million visitors each year and have about $50 million of economic impact.

It is important to consider, however, that Syracuse is one of the poorest cities in the country. According to a 2019 study from Forbes, Syracuse had the fourth highest poverty rates in cities with populations of over 100,000 people, with a steep poverty rate of 31 percent. Syracuse’s child poverty rate is also 48.4 percent, the highest among cities in the US with over 100,000 people.

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New York state recently finished implementing a cleanup plan for Onondaga Lake that has taken over 20 years. Still, the Lake must be closely monitored to ensure vegetation is healthy and the surrounding wildlife is accurately documented. Onondaga County lawmakers should have instead allocated some of the funds for the new aquarium to ensure the healthy return of the Lake that Syracuse was built around.

Syracuse also has the highest rates of lead poisoning in the nation. Approximately one in 10 children in Syracuse have levels of lead in their blood that are above the normal amount. In just the city of Syracuse, 14,000 lead service pipes are delivering water to households. A federal grant of $2.6 billion is available to replace lead pipes. However, Syracuse lawmakers should still recognize lead poisoning in their community as a pressing issue. Money that was allocated towards the aquarium could have been better spent in creating a healthy way to deliver water to Syracuse homes.

The decision to spend an extensive amount of money in order to achieve a long-term goal is irresponsible when more pressing, short-term issues have yet to be resolved. While county legislators may claim to have the best interests of the Syracuse community in mind, their resources would be better allocated toward the issues that are actively harming the community.

Evan Butow is a junior magazine, news and digital journalism major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at enbutow@syr.edu.

Published on August 31, 2022 at 11:52 pm