Site construction on the aquarium in Syracuse’s Inner Harbor is underway, and county executive Ryan McMahon continues to defend it as a wise investment to spur tourism. Political opponents and numerous residents expressed deep concern over the project’s initial $85 million price tag and ongoing costs when it was first proposed three years ago. But McMahon says it’s a regionally important project that will reap benefits.
“We're back to pre COVID revenue growth, which means we need to continue to invest in ourselves to drive sales tax so that tourism, economic activity, capturing spending just like the amphitheater, the aquarium will help with that.”
A divided legislature narrowly approved using taxpayer money for the project in 2022, with many lawmakers having reservations about cost overruns. McMahon acknowledges it’s costing more due to inflation but anticipates additional funding streams.
“We'll have private sources of funding, we'll have naming rights, opportunities. There's other ways we might be able to re-appropriate dollars," McMahon said. "We're very confident that the naming rights discussions we're having are solid and we're very confident once we get our general contractor bids back that we'll know what the final budget looks like and that we'll be able to meet that budget.”
Once complete, McMahon says the aquarium will bring more traffic to the inner harbor and spur private sector development. He says neighboring Destiny USA, which is struggling to pay its mortgage, should also benefit. McMahon anticipates an early summer 2026 opening.
