| Author | Message | ||
| maria22hzn (maria22hzn) New member Username: maria22hzn Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2010 |
I love  that accurium.Hopefully go there again | ||
| Jay S. |
Detroit cannot afford to have 1 less reason to visit it. I'm sure if the mayor cut back on the personal expenses he has incurred he could be well on his way to allocating enough money for the aquarium. The mayor is only adding to the embarrassment that Detroit already is. | ||
| Michael Bartlett |
While I certainly agree with much of your post, we need to focus on solutions rather than assignment of blame. Our goals need to be focused on presenting the mayor with positive solutions regardless of his personal situations. | ||
| Jen |
I have always thought Detroit is a great place to go but try convinving others of that. The reason Detroit does not attract as many visitors as say-Chicago is because of the lack things to do. Sure Detroit has some great restaurants, clubs, museums, etc., but not enough to make a difference. The aquarium is something unique that people of all ages can enjoy. Closing it would mean one less piece of history. The 2006 Superbowl is going to be bringing all eyes on Detroit. Why not show visitors and of course those who live here that Detroit does still have some worthwhile attractions? | ||
| Jenn T. |
My family and I have lived in Canton for years, and until we heard of the aquarium's proposed closing, we did not even know it existed! We visited the aquarium this weekend and became so sad that this piece of history may be taken away so quickly! We just don't understand how the city can allow money to be allotted to bodyguards for the Mayor, and no money to protect our COUNTRY'S oldest aquarium! This is such a shame. I wonder if there is anything the state of Michigan could do to protect it? | ||
| Jenn T. |
Couldn't the aquarium become a source of revenue rather than expense for the city? For example, why not open a restaurant near it with a nautical theme (as it is on an island) and proceeds could go to help the aquarium ... or even have it attached to the aquarium. Also, social cocktail events and the like could be held in that area ... what a beautiful place to hold an event! Another idea: rent the aquarium out for children's birthday parties and such, complete with a tour guide to take the children through an adventure in the sea ... I would have loved that as a child (and so would the parents as the children will have fun and learn something new)! I agree that we need ideas to help keep this place alive ... and any idea deserves a mention! Let's show them how it is done and think of as many solutions as we can! | ||
| Michael Bartlett (Mike)
|
These are fantastic ideas Jenn. I'm ignorant of how to go about making such things happen, but I am working to educate myself, and it is suggestions like these that are exactly what we need to save the aquarium. | ||
| Elise Miesowicz and Michael Wagner
|
My boyfriend and I absolutly love the aquarium and refuse to see it demolished. The beauty of this building and its contents is too great to be denied the right to live on. When we visited the aquarium the other day for the first time in a while, we realized what we were missing and returned the next day. We would go back every day if it meant saving this piece of Detroit. It is sickening what our mayor thinks he will do after he shuts the aquarium down. "build a new one"...yeah right, right after you buy your wife another suv (heck, why not a hummer this time) and keep all the other promises we've heard. We live in Detroit and support all of the little businesses wherever we can, but this is an establishment that everyone needs to support. Suburbs, downtown, eastside, and downriver....Get off your butts and have a voice about this. There is no way that any other aquarium will measure up to the Belle Isle aquarium. I am sick of it...I'll be at the meeting tomorrow at the Beanery with a check from my family and one from myself to try to give my favorite island in Detroit a chance to keep it's heritage. | ||
| Vance Patrick |
Jenn T. Good idea about the restaurant. How about a cool "50s" style concession stand, all glass in the shape of a triangle. Right across the parking lot from the aquarium. OH..,UM..,YEA..,THEY TORE IT DOWN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. It was never open. Hard to show a profit if ya never turn the lights on!!!!! | ||
| Robert K. Jones |
Please ask us, the citizens of Detroit, to help. We will donate and donate greatly, but we don't know to whom or where to donate. Please go on T.V and Radio and in our newspapers and ask us, our children, our elders and tell us when and where at to whom to respond to with our offerings. Please help us to help oorselves to save our aquarium and island. | ||
| Vance |
Robert You can donate on line using pay pal. You can mail checks to FRIENDS OF BELLE ISLE 8109 JEFFERSON DETROIT, MI. 48214 PLEASE DONT FORGET TO WRITE AQUARIUM SUPPORT ON YOUR CHECK. You can call me Vance Patrick 586-663-9482 and we can talk about corporate sponcers. WE ARE STILL WORKING ON REOPENING THE AQUARIUM. | ||
| Rob
|
i have to agree with Jenn's post above. i have been in southeast michigan my whole life , and it wasnt until the closing was announced, that i even knew this exsited. i have recently read the closing press releases and things that touted that extreme marketing attempts, and i laughed off my chair. since i have never seen one. i am taking this to heart, since i am an advanced marine aquarist, it breaks my heart to see this happen. is there any hope of it sticking around? i sure hope so. i know my daughter would just love to visit this place, and i would love to go and even volunteer time to work there. | ||
| ANONYMOUS |
Re-opening the Aquarium is definitely possible, but it will take mass political action to do so. The Aquarium is not a huge, costly institution to operate like the Zoo in Royal Oak or the Detroit Institute of Arts. With proper publicity and marketing, the Aquarium could easily be self-supporting. The Mayor and Zoo Director know this. The money to operate and repair the Aquarium was not the reason they closed the Aquarium; that was the excuse. The reason they closed the Belle Isle Aquarium was that they believed it stood in the way of selling their plan to build a much larger, more expensive aquarium downtown which will mainly serve affluent tourists. Such an aquarium would ultimately be a financial nightmare for the City and for every other non-profit cultural institution in the City. But it will make a fortune for those who finance and build it and generate huge campaign contributions and consulting plums for the Mayor and Zoo Director. THIS MONEY was the reason for closing the BIA. Closing the Belle Isle Aquarium may also be part of a larger plan to privatize Belle Isle and remake it into an attraction mainly appealing to affluent tourists. Chronic police tolerance of the Strip with its public imbibing of legal and illegal intoxicants, excessively loud and lewd, rude, and obnoxious behavior, and blocking and impeding traffic, all of which discourage family use of Belle Isle as a nature park, may also be part of such a plan. As may the policy decision to keep most of the bathrooms on the island closed and to allow homeless people to reside in several of the few that are open. (it will be interesting to see if this policy changes after May 1). It follows that efforts to raise money to save or reopen the BIA are a waste of time and a distraction from the task of organizing mass political action, the basis for which already exists---mass anger over the decision to close it. The policy decision to close the BIA was blatantlly elitist and racist and has deeply angered a great number of people, especially the people of Detroit. the question is how to turn this anger into action. It is also a waste of time to rely on the Detroit City Council to re-open the BIA. if Council had the will to act, it already would have, by hardballing the Mayor on an appropriation he desparately needed, such as the recent $7 million dollar subsidy for the People Mover. Instead, council unanimously rolled over, put its legs up in the air, and refused to fight. Council will not take any decisive action in the absence of militant mass political action which makes it fear the voters more than it fears the Mayor. Even then it might not act decisively, ie, meaningfully on an appropriation or budget passage question. (Counsel cannot directly order the Mayor to reopen the BIA. But it could achieve this result indirectly thru its appropriation and budget passing power, if it chose to do so). the question is how to convince a majority that it is in its interest to do so. While the BIA was open, there was a possibilty that mass protest could have taken the form of a sit-in at the Aquarium. that possibility has been lost. (it was that possibility which made the Mayor and Zoo Director want to close it on April 3, rather than allow it to remain open thru the end of the fiscal year, June 30. this is proven by the fact that the Aquarium was operating on a surplus-generating basis in March and April 1 thru 3. closing the Aquarium on April 3 COST the City money. the Mayor and the Zoo Director knew that. Yet they insisted on closing the Aquarium on April 3rd anyway, further proof that operating cost money was not the reason for closing it.) they were afraid 1) that three more months of high attendance in the black month by month operation would have exposed their lies about the aquarium's mass appeal and ability to support itself and might have lead to a mass protest. Now, that mass political action might take the form of voting the Mayor out of office. However, merely voting the Mayor out may not be enough. for instance, one of the candidates opposing the Mayor is on the city council. she says she opposed the closing of the Aquarium and supports its re-opening. Yet she has NEVER as of yet advocated hardballing the Mayor on an appropriation (such as the People Mover) to force him to keep it open, despite having the opportunity to do so. Nor did she do anything to rally and organize mass opposition to the Aquarium's closing, despite her stature as an elected official and the media and mass attention that commands. The other opposition candidate also says he opposed the Aquarium's closing and supports its reopening. But he never did anything to further mass political protest which might have kept the Aquarium open. Actions (or the lack of actions) speak louder than words. Isn't it rather naive to take aspiring candidates at their mere words, when their actions and/or lack of actions indicate that their support for the Aquarium is lukewarm at best, or may be empty words? After all, they have to say they oppose the Mayor on a number of issues. Why not this one? Mass political action might take the form of a petition drive to get City Council to put an advisory question of whether the City should reopen the Aquarium on the August or November ballot. and if this succeeds in pressuring council to do so, campaigning for the maximum yes vote on this proposition. An overwhelming yes vote might put a new mayor in a position where he or she would find it politically difficult to fail to reopen the Aquarium, or lead to more militant actions at a later time if it was necessary. to repeat. attempts to reopen the Aquarium by raising money are a waste of time and counterproductive, because they support the Mayor and Zoo Director's lies that operating and repair costs were the real reason for its closing. (to paraphrase a famous movie line, "if they (the powers that be, new or old) reopen it, the (big) money will come." Relying on city council to reopen the Aquarium is also a waste of time and energy and counterproductive, because it tells the people to be passive and rely on a body which has shown absolutely no inclination to stand up to the Mayor on this (or any other) issue. however, exposing the Mayor and Zoo Director's lies that money was the problem is NOT a waste of time. Exposing city council's docility and failure to act decisively is also NOT a waste of time. In fact, these two exposures are key to educating people that only mass political action can ensure that the Aquarium will be reopened. they go hand in hand with advocating mass politiical action, whatever form it may take. understanding and following this line of thought and action is the key to reopening the Aquarium. | ||
| Debbie Kish |
The pictures of the birthday celebration turned out great. I'm glad that so many people came out. I came after work and enjoyed seeing the chalk drawings and the big red bow on the door. Of course I was the only one there at that time but it's nice to know that others got there first. At least that dear place wasn't forgotten on its birthday like last year. Any word on when the group is expected to get its non-profit statis? | ||
| Debbie Kish |
The pictures of the birthday celebration turned out great. I'm glad that so many people came out. I came after work and enjoyed seeing the chalk drawings and the big red bow on the door. Of course I was the only one there at that time but it's nice to know that others got there first. At least that dear place wasn't forgotten on its birthday like last year. Any word on when the group is expected to get its non-profit statis? | ||
| Stephen Goodfellow |
It's likely to take a half a year to a year. In the meantime, we're under the Friends of Belle Isle's non-profit umbrella. |
