Latest news, weather and high school sports for Albany and Southwest Georgia

ALBANY, GA --
The Flint Riverquarium may finally be rising from the financial depths. Officials approached the Dougherty County Board of Commissioners on Monday to outline a reallocation plan for 2013, that would shift funds from new exhibits, to renovating and revitalizing the building itself.

"Anytime you have mechanical systems running 24/7, 365-days a year, they have a limited life," said Flint Riverquarium spokeswoman, Emily McAfee.

Instead of using $190,000 dollars of their budget to build new outdoor exhibits, the Riverquarium will push to replace pumps, heating systems, and the roof of the building in hopes that it will prolong the facilities life, and overall appeal.

"Instead of building something outside that takes more labor and expenditures, we wanted to ask the commission and they seemed to be receptive," said McAfee.

And commissioners say that although they don't fund the Riverquarium, it's still a part of their community and something they want to know about.

"They're trying to keep us informed and in the loop about those details, obviously they're going through some financial difficulties right now. And this puts money where they really need it to reduce some of their costs," said Dougherty County Commissioner, Ewell Lyle.

"To use their monies on roofs, leaks in the roof, and all the things associated with that along with the heating and structural deficiencies that's where that capitol money needs to be spent," said Dougherty County Commissioner, Jeff Sinyard.

Commissioners expressed their happiness with reallocation plan, and are hopeful these improvements can enhance the overall experience of visiting the Flint Riverquarium.