By: Jabril Shakur, Follow South Jersey Intern
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — This week I took a trip to the Garden Basin park in Atlantic City because I got word that the Atlantic City Aquarium was re-opening, so I wanted to get some insight and further details on what’s to come of the reopening of the aquarium.
I went by the parks office to speak to the parks manager to get more inside details of the renovation & new things to come of the park and the aquarium but was referred to the office of Mayor Marty Smalls, Sr. I was able to speak to him, and he gave us concrete details on what’s to come of the aquarium this summer.
“As a jewel of Atlantic City, I wasn’t comfortable opening the aquarium with all of those changes and outside looking at the same as it did 30 years ago,” Mayor Smalls said. “So we engaged contractors, and now we have the scope of work out and entering and exterior will be done, and it’s going to be a brand new building which the residents and visitors of Atlantic City deserve. So we are extremely happy to announce that Aquarium will open Monday, July 1.”
Mayor Smalls said that while renovation and reopening had been planned for years, Covid really slowed things down.
“We started renovations during the Covid year, obviously with the shortage of labor and parts in the pandemic, it kind of slowed everything down,” Mayor Smalls said. “There was close to being a partnership with the Camden aquarium, but you know we decided against it at the last minute. We have a great aquarium staff that has been there for years, and they do a great job and everyone is excited to see what the new opening brings. It’s really going to be a game changer…it’s going to look totally different, it’s going to feel totally different. and I can’t wait.”
City residents and visitors alike can stay updated on the progress of the aquarium reopening as well as everything else that is Atlantic City.
“We have a platform that alerts all of our residents on all major things here, we have AC alerts,” Mayor Smalls said. “You go to the city’s website, www.acnj.gov, and you click on ‘sign up for AC alerts,’ and you get text messages on all major things happening, press conferences, and more. We are going to do that internally and externally with the aquarium opening. It’s a lot of media attention on it. Everyone will know when the aquarium is reopening when you know we are very excited about that.”
For more information and to watch the full interview with Atlantic City Mayor Marty Smalls, Sr. watch the video below.
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