June 30, 2005

Aquarium fishing for subs

By Peggy Hill

staff writer

The Ripley’s Aquarium in Niagara Falls has entered its prequalification stage, with construction slated to begin in August.

The deadline to submit documents for sub-trades in mechanical, electrical, concrete forming and structural steel is Friday, July 8.

The 120,000-square-foot facility is being built on the 25-acre package of land where the Great Wolf Lodge is currently under construction. The lodge is scheduled to open early next spring.

The aquarium will be built in two phases, says Ian Duncan, senior project manager with Ledcor Construction Ltd., the construction management firm for Ripley’s on the project. The first is the foundation, with the second and final phase expected to be completed in 2007.

The architect for the aquarium is Toronto-based Bregman Hamann.

The facility’s major exhibit will be Greenland sharks. Unlike Ripley’s two other aquariums in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Myrtle Beach, S.C., which are warm water, these will require water that has to be kept near freezing, says Duncan.

Orlando-based Ripley’s has been looking at Niagara Falls as a location for an aquarium for nearly a decade, said the company’s chief financial officer, Darren Loblaw. It looked at several sites, he said, but couldn’t get the price it wanted or there were land restrictions.

Ripley’s acquired the 25 acres from Great Wolf Lodge, a U.S. chain of water park resorts, early last year. Great Wolf bought the land in 2001, but construction was delayed by 9/11 and the war in Iraq.

The company also faced hurdles building in Canada, Loblaw said, so Ripley’s, which is owned by Jim Pattison Group in Vancouver, acquired the rights to build the resort as well. The combined development is valued at $200 million.

The lodge will contain 406 suites, a 94,000 square-foot indoor entertainment area featuring a waterpark, an arcade, outdoor pool, a 250-seat family restaurant, and meeting space.

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