"We have actively worked for years on designing, developing andpopulating Adventure Aquarium," Charbeneau says. The shuttering ofthe existing facility, with drew some eight million visitors in its12-year history, is the next step in a process that began earlierthis year when Steiner & Associates broke ground forconstruction of the 86,000-sf expansion.

The existing venue is getting a substantial makeover, accordingto David Wechsler, president of Steiner Entertainment, which willactually operate the state-owned facility under a contract with theNew Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. Altogether, the newfacility will total some 200,000 sf when it re-opens.

The price tag for the expansion/renovation project was initiallyplaced at some $33 million, but that number has jumped into the$40-million range under the latest plans. The funding for it iscoming through a combination of loans and grants from the State ofNew Jersey, as well as from private sources, specifically Steiner& Associates.