You don’t get food at 12. (214) 373-3474. March 13, 2020 12:15 PM Coronavirus (COVID-19) Impact on Dallas Park & Recreation. Aquariums & Aquarium Supplies. Another company is facing closure as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on. Built in 1936, it is the oldest aquarium still in the original building. You get food at 6.”. Tasks such … So while the zoo could reinvest new capital to continually evolve, the city-zoo agreement for the aquarium allowed only for maintaining the facility. That starts with being realistic about the special maintenance challenges of running the oldest aquarium in the state — and coming up with a plan that doesn’t leave city taxpayers cleaning up the red ink. 5 months ago. This summer, community members started a GoFundMe, now at almost $900, and a petition to save the historic attraction. Throughout the tour, almost every animal prompted Margeaux to share a story. In a tiny no-frills lab room, staffers conducted the water-quality tests required daily to ensure the safety of the tank dwellers upstairs. But the funds, plus help Bazaldua hopes to get from private donors, would keep the fish safe and well cared for while stakeholders, working under the just-approved Fair Park master plan, figure out a new future for the aquarium. In coordination with the emergency declarations the Dallas Park and Recreation Department is closely monitoring information about the coronavirus (COVID-19), and has developed a plan based on the recommendations from health officials to ensure every precaution is taken to keep customers and … According to a report from the Dallas Morning News, the first aquarium to open in Texas may be closing its doors soon as it faces financial uncertainty. Six Flags. 37 Aquarium jobs available in Dallas, TX on Indeed.com. Only issue we have with the aquarium is the hours itself. Brooklynn Cooper covers southern Dallas as a Report for America corps member. For now, the relocation of 4,000 animals is on pause after Dallas City Council member Adam Bazaldua, who represents Fair Park, identified $800,000 in unused bond money to keep the aquarium afloat for two more years. One of them was lucky enough to snag the shrimp she was holding. “Each one of these fish is an ambassador that tells a story,” Edell said. For the health and safety of our guests, staff, and animals, we have implemented several changes in our operating procedures. Margeaux Maurer dipped her hand in the water. Separately, the Dallas Zoo had to cut its own budget by $10 million, furlough 100 employees and pause its $150 million master plan expansion project. The aquarium is a beautiful place, my kids love it. Dallas Aquarium Kings is Dallas-Fort Worth's premier service provider for aquarium maintenance, aquarium service, aquarium cleaning, aquarium moving, and design *Last entry is 90 minutes prior to closing time. “We’ve got to make sure we have more than a Band-Aid because that would be disastrous to have to do it again.”. Just above our heads, loudly whirring machinery, pumps and pipes — lifelines to the venue’s dozens of tanks — join together in a maze of replaced, repaired and still original ironwork that makes every maintenance job complicated. The zoo, which is in east Oak Cliff, closed to the public in mid-March as cases of COVID-19 first showed up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Park Board President Calvert Collins-Bratton pointed out that while no one was happy about closing the aquarium, its annual shortfall had to be covered by dollars taken from another of the city’s park and recreation amenities. Regular ticket prices are $8 for adults and $6 for children and seniors; during the State Fair, those prices drop substantially. What happened? The museum will take several precautionary measures including closing all on-site buildings. It’s actually really, really hard — and expensive — facts that became increasingly clear the farther I walked into the bowels of the 85-year-old aquarium. “He was born in February 2019.”. Sharon Grigsby. 2.2 … Most of them took a lap around the tank when they realized she didn’t have a snack that time. The Dallas Zoo and the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park are closing their doors to the public through at least March 20. The Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park opened in 1936 as the Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park, making history as the state’s first attraction of its kind. “He’s like, ‘hello.’ ”. The Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park was the first aquarium built in the state, and Texans will soon have to say goodbye to it, according to Jacob Vaughn for the Dallas Observer. “I didn’t teach him to do that,” Margeaux promised. Gratke explained that the four-eyed fish, which actually have two eyes with split pupils, have learned to wait for the scraps that the archerfish don’t catch. "Bird-feeding (children's area) and tortoise-feeding (also Zoo North) are favorite activities every visit, but the Wildlife Adventures Show (by the bridge) is FUN, educational and interactive for kids of all ages." But city staff members had always intended for the aquarium to be a year-round attraction. Dallas Zoo members get more. Follow. Hi Cindy. Village. It was an abrupt, if understandable, ending for a historic landmark where many of this city’s children, including my own, got their first look at life under the sea. The Dallas Zoo said it has prevention and response plans ready for both the Dallas Zoo and the Children's Aquarium … Some mention of penguins or rare birds and how it's a little expensive ($20.95) but worth it usually follows. Covid-19 – Information for Guests: Is SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium suitable for adults? It would be greatly appreciated if hours were pushed back to 7pm closing time. “Look at his smile,” Margeaux said. Fins flapping, the little one kept close to the tank glass while 10-year-old Margeaux rubbed its smooth back. When the zoo spun off into a public-private operation in 2009, the city insisted that the aquarium be part of the deal – but promised to underwrite its annual losses. While the aquarium closed to the public in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, staff members at the Dallas Zoo offered to give Margeaux and her mother a special tour recently. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas. The zoo has overseen the aquarium for years, dating back to when both were officially part of the Park Department. After months of not being able to visit because of the pandemic, Margeaux marveled at old friends — like the cownose rays — and met new ones, like the cuttlefish that arrived in August and the aquarium’s first blacktip sharks, born last year. A A The Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park, a gem that has stood in Dallas for about 84 years, is set to close for good because of substantial financial losses brought on by the pandemic. But he did point out that there is much to be learned from successful aquariums, particularly when it comes to marketing and ticket prices. But his plan still has to be approved by the council. As staff veterinarians made regular rounds in the basement’s animal infirmary Wednesday, their patients included an electric eel, ailing since it swallowed a rock in its exhibit tank. A high school senior called out her superintendent in public for an illegal act. After receiving a series of enemas — a precarious treatment given that the creature’s voltage can kill a horse — the eel was much improved. What items cannot be taken into SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium? Despite getting clearance to open later this week after nearly two months closed, the Dallas World Aquarium has decided to wait until it figures out the … Bazaldua is the first elected official in forever to take real interest in the aquarium. Children's Aquarium at Fair Park 1462 First Avenue Dallas, TX 75210 Ph: 469-554-7340 website Hours 9:00 am - 4:30 pm 7 days a week* *Closed on Thanksgiving Day & Christmas Day The Dallas World Aquarium is excited to welcome everyone back! The worst possible thing that could happen would be to end up back at this same spot two years from now. *Currently closed due to COVID-19. A couple of things give me hope that the aquarium may have a future. Most visitors are families and seniors; school groups account for only 10% to 15% of admissions. 10-05. But to Margeaux, her time at the aquarium was priceless. RELATED: LIST: Dallas-Fort Worth area business closings. Swimming among the blacktips was a porcupinefish that followed Margeaux as she walked from one side of the glass to the other. “It’s worth it if we can come up with the long-term solution,” he said. With his round black eyes and orange-slice-shaped mouth, the spotted fish swam alongside his new friend while she looked at his tank mates. 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As U.S. races toward COVID-19 vaccine, Britain takes the lead. Archerfish can catch food by spitting water above the surface and knocking bugs off of perches. The coronavirus pandemic has also contributed to the aquarium's financial losses. Look Out For COVID-19 Vaccine ScamsGinger Allen reports. And the sea creatures were just as excited to see her. The aquarium’s deficits had cost taxpayers almost $1.7 million over the last decade alone. Consider that, even closed, it requires half a million dollars annually. Dozens of cownose rays raced toward her. It came down to a “a strategic, albeit difficult, decision based on the ongoing costs to operate the facility in the short-term and long-term.”. 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