THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 24, 1995 TAG: 9510240074
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Comment
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
I VISITED Nauticus in Norfolk and the Virginia Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach recently on two days back to back and came away appreciating the opportunity they have to tell both sides of Hampton Roads' relationship with the sea.
What I remember about Nauticus is pushing a button to pull a ship into dry dock, seeing a film showing freight trains at harbor's edge waiting for cargo, and watching white-coat clad marine biologists from Old Dominion University study water quality.
What I remember about the Marine Science Museum was walking along a wooden pathway and seeing marsh grasses sway, watching giant fish from the Chesapeake Bay glide by under glass, and seeing local turtles scramble around an indoor pond.
Nauticus is about man. VMSM is about nature.
Of the two, VSMS probably has the easier sell. Seeing seals, big fish and nature scenes is immediately appealing. The center's long-time director and founder, Mac Rawls, guided me through the $35 million expansion now underway. It is incredible.
Once completed early next year, the center will be a combination of zoo, aquarium, nature walk and deluxe movie theater. Visitors will be able to see sea lions frolicking by the front door, otters slipping in and out of indoor/outdoor pools, birds under a webbed tent outside and ocean creatures in one of the largest aquariums on the East Coast. Visitors can walk along Owls Creek in what feels like seclusion and untampered nature - an amazing illusion given the museum's proximity to the hustle and bustle of Rudee Inlet, the resort strip and Wild Water Rapids amusement park.
Nauticus has a tougher, but more important mission. It shows off the industry and institutions that make Hampton Roads unique: the Navy, which puts paychecks in most of our pockets one way or another; Metro Machine repairing a ship; the duties of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has an office near Nauticus.
The film ``A Day In the Life of Hampton Roads'' shows how the commerce and trade of the region revolves around its harbor.
In a sense, the two museums' missions fit their cities. Virginia Beach, a suburban, bedroom city, has an essentially recreational relationship with the the bays, beach and grasses that surround it.
Norfolk, a city of industry and jobs, has a serious, for-profit relationship with its rivers and oceans. Huge industries and institutions are built around that relationship.
One advantage VMSM has had is time to grow. The first section of VMSM opened in 1988. Although impressive, it cost just $8 million with the city only putting up $4 million. Now, as the museum expands to the tune of $35 million, it can build on the knowledge the staff has built up over the last eight years about what works and what does not.
Nauticus blew its $52 million wad in one chunk, and now has the more difficult task of adjusting its mix of exhibits and its overall thrust with a lot more money under the bridge.
One thing Nauticus could do better is utilize its site. It sits on a pier flung out over the Elizabeth River, with a radial view of the ships and shorelines. Yet the building is virtually windowlessand little leads the visitor out to the dock where he or she could see more of the harbor.
Speaking of money, let's get clear just how many bucks each city is spending.
This year, Virginia Beach will spend about $3 million on VMSM. That breaks down to $500,000 to subsidize the museum's operating budget, $500,000 to pay original construction loans, and $2 million to pay debt on the expansion. By next year, the total figure will rise to $4.3 million as the city sells more of the bonds to pay for the expansion under construction. Most of this is funded through a designated set of taxes. None of this money is scheduled to be paid back.
Norfolk is spending $1 million a year on Nauticus, money which the museum is scheduled to ultimately pay back.
My mom, who lives in Virginia Beach and as a volunteer at VMSM helped plant flowers around the nature walk, visited Nauticus for the first time last week, accompanied by two of her grandsons.
``I really liked it,'' she said, and so did the boys. ``I was surprised, because I had heard so much bad talk about it.''
Both attractions will be around for a long time. I hope everyone decides for themselves whether they are worth the time, effort, thought and money that went into them. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
Nauticus is about man. VSSM is about nature. Rather than conflict,
these two local museums compliment each other.
by CNB