FRESNO (KMJ) — Drivers traveling into Fresno on Highway 99 are now able to see one of the first physical signs of the Fresno Aquarium project. The 35,000 gallon fire protection water tank is now in place on a patch of land just north of Herndon Avenue.
“It is a tank, but it’s not going to contain fish,” reveals the Aquarius Aquarium Executive Director Tom Lang. “Unfortunately this is just for water in case there’s a fire at the aquarium.”
There is still work to be done at the site at the end of North Parkway Drive, before there’s a structure ready for visitors.
“If people go onto Google Earth, Google Maps, they can actually see our site. We’ve actually created a building pad where the future building is going to go.
“The water tank is up on the bluff, but the first building will be down off this river bluff and that’ll be where the fish are raised that’ll live at the future Fresno Aquarium….but it still won’t be open to the public until we get everything else finished. That won’t be for a couple of years.”
Fundraising efforts continue to generate money to finish the project. The non-profit already has $280,600 to put towards the 6,000 square feet Aquaculture Building; $730,000 is needed to complete that stage.
“We’re going to be using it for aquaculture, which is raising the fish that will live in the future exhibits. But no that doesn’t pay for the second floor.
“So then second floor would be another capital campaign for that. We’re going to do a parking lot up at our level, where we’re standing right now, and you’ll actually come into the aquarium on the second floor and all the filters and quarantine tanks will all be in the basement underneath the main building.”
Lang estimates Phase 1 will cost between $10 million to $15 million, but he’s confident the money can be raised.
“I think we can, it’s just going to take time.”
The Fresno Aquarium website is accepting donations online (click here for the link).
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
