Aquarium announces change of address

Salt Lake City's Living Planet Aquarium is moving to the suburbs.

Aquarium officials said Wednesday the small aquarium has outgrown its home in The Gateway shopping center and plans a temporary move to Sandy.

"We just don't have the room, so we're having to turn to a larger location," said Madlyn Runburg, the aquarium's director of operations. "We just could not find the square footage downtown."

The only hope for a return to the capital city is in the hands of the Salt Lake County Council. Aquarium officials are lobbying the county to put a $33.9 million bond on the November ballot to pay for construction of a bigger aquarium on the corner of 500 South and 400 West in Salt Lake City.

The aquarium's preview exhibit opened at The Gateway in June 2004, thanks to a gift of free rent for two years from The Boyer Co. Now that the end of that two years is near, Runburg said aquarium officials decided to move to a bigger space rather than pay rent at The Gateway.

The aquarium's 20,000-gallon shark tank, along with eels, lionfish, and a touch pool filled with Southern Pacific Sting Rays will all make the move to Sandy.

Runburg said attendance at the preview exhibit has exceeded expectations. When it opened, aquarium officials expected 6,000 visitors a month. Nearly two years later, attendance has more than doubled.

Moving to Sandy might attract new visitors to the aquarium, since south-valley residents are typically reluctant to drive downtown to visit the exhibit, Runburg said. The temporary Sandy exhibit at 725 E. 10600 South is expected to open in June, she said.

Aquarium officials are in a time crunch to secure funding for the bigger aquarium proposed for downtown Salt Lake. The Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency owns the land and if construction on the aquarium doesn't start by June 30, 2008, the agency can use the land for a different project.

The aquarium tried to put a $30 million bond on the ballot in 2004, but the County Council decided against doing so. Now aquarium officials are trying again, this time asking for $33.9 million. Runburg said private investors will be more willing to donate if the county will commit to a bond.

But Councilman Joe Hatch said the Council likely won't approve sending the bond to voters.

"I am definitely inclined not to put it on the ballot this November," he said. "Maybe sometime in the future. Not now. There is already too much going on."

The council is considering at least four other bond proposals for the November ballot, including $875 million to extend TRAX throughout the Salt Lake Valley, $60 million to accelerate construction of recreation facilities across the valley, $20 million for open-space preservation and a bond to pay for new fire stations. Voters also may be asked to approve public funding for a soccer stadium for Real Salt Lake.

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com