The expansion that tanked Marine Science Museum ponders its next steps
Board members say they’re not giving up on dolphin-tank plan!!

Public criticism of the museum and the expansion has focused on two areas: In February, city officials acknowledged that an undercover Beach police officer secretly attended meetings of Dolphin Liberty, a local citizens group actively opposed to the dolphin exhibit. A circuit court judge ruled earlier this month that city officials violated the state’s open records law at least twice by failing to turn over all information on the dolphin exhibit that had been requested by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals under the state’s Freedom of Information Act. In addition, Paul J. Seigel, a former senior fund-raiser for the museum, testified that museum official Alice Scanlan told him that Museum Director C. Mac Rawls instructed her to remove the ocuments sought by PETA. Both Scanlan and Rawls denied the allegations in court. Another court hearing is scheduled Aug. 30 on the PETA records dispute. Now that the council has expressed its concern, what happens next is uncertain. Frantz said the museum board has not met or discussed how to proceed after the council didn’t include the project on its priority list. “We are certainly realists and... are going to go back to the drawing board and see if there’s something else out there other than maintaining the status quo,” Frantz said. “If you don’t change, you’ll eventually go backwards.” At last year’s retreat, the council listed the museum’s Phase III expansion as one of its four “high priorities,” behind its four “top priorities.” But the dolphin exhibit quickly drew fire from those who felt it was cruel. The expansion became a political hot potato, and the council ultimately decided in May not to fund the $55 million project.

At this year’s retreat, the expansion project didn’t make the list, receiving just 3 out of a possible 162 votes cast during three rounds of council votes. “We didn’t know this was coming,” Frantz said of the council’s rejection. But Thomas C. Broyles, the newly elected president of the museum foundation board, said his group is committed to including dolphins in the expansion.
“I feel that the support is there,” Broyles said. “However, its not something we need to face at this time because we don’t have a site for the Phase III expansion.” Asked if dolphins will continue to be a part of the planning, Broyles said, “Absolutely.”
“That is absolutely our goal. We’re going to make every effort in that direction,” he said. The museum’s foundation is a private, nonprofit organization that helps raise funds to pay for museum exhibits. Its 60-member board is comprised of community and business leaders from throughout Hampton Roads. The foundation was aiming to raise $10 million toward the construction of the $55 million expansion, with $2.5 million already in place – money that will be lost if ground is not broken on some sort of expansion by 2004. Dorcas T. Helfant, a foundation board member and vice chair of its strategic planning committee, said she would like to see the board “think outside the box” when it returns to the expansion issue. She said she’s not aware of any “Plan B,” but hopes it will be housed in the building already designed. “That style – the architecture and creativity is just unparalleled,” Helfant said. A three-dimensional architect’s model of that building continues to sit on display near the entrance to the museum’s Atlantic Ocean exhibit.

While there may be less common ground in the dolphin debate, few on the council or elsewhere dispute the museum’s drawing power, its educational value or its need to continue growing. The Virginia Marine Science Museum is the Beach’s most popular attraction for overnight visitors, and an expansion would help keep it at the top of the list, according to city tourism officials.
“Given the proven popularity of these types of facilities throughout the country, an expansion would prove very popular, and it’s something the Beach does need,” said James B. Ricketts, director of the city’s Department of Convention and Visitor Development. Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf said she hasn’t given up on the idea of an expansion or ruled out dolphins as a component, but she wants all sides to sit down and talk. “I’d like to find a course that we can all pull together like we did through Phases I and II,” she said. “I also want to find out if the folks who opposed the concept of the expansion have the desire to sit down and talk about plans for the future, and perhaps becoming personally financially involved.”  Susan Q. Wagner, co-founder of Dolphin Liberty, a grass-roots group that has been fighting to keep captive dolphins out of the museum’s plans, said she’s encouraged by the council’s latest direction. “We are very pleased, of course, that we don’t have to fight the battle again right now, because we felt that we probably did have to start fighting it again,” Wagner said. Wagner also said her group never opposed expanding or improving the museum, just the idea of captive dolphins. “We have always been in favor of expanding the museum if the city feels it has the money to do so,” Wagner said. “And Dolphin Liberty has always said that we would help to raise money and raise public consciousness to expand or build a new first-class stranding center.”