A plan for an aquarium as the centerpiece of an amusement and educational development that was initially pitched to Louisville officials has resurfaced in Harrison County, Indiana.

The Harrison County commissioners have invited the public to a meeting Sept. 5 to hear a presentation on the project being promoted by Louisville businessman Ed Dana. It will be at 8:30 a.m. at the Harrison County Government Center, 245 Atwood Street NE in Corydon.

At this point, no site for the project has been decided and no financial commitments have been made, said Chad Shireman, the Harrison County auditor who serves as a spokesman for the commissioners.

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Dana, who is the president and CEO of the Sleep Center of Kentuckiana, has had preliminary discussions about the venture primarily with Harrison County Commissioner Jim Klinstiver, who represents the southern portion of the Hoosier county. His area includes the much-visited Horseshoe Southern Indiana Hotel & Casino.

At the upcoming meeting, Klinstiver said that Dana "will present his team's concept for a 300-acre, multi-tourist attraction development to be constructed in Harrison County."

A release under Klinstiver's name dated Friday said that the three county commissioners "want to see this project come to Harrison County, instead of another county in the region. It has the potential to become an international attraction that will greatly benefit Harrison County."

Klinstiver said the commissioners welcome community participation in planning the project.

In a brief interview Friday, Dana said the plans for the development are much the same as those he pitched in February to the Louisville Metro Council. He proposed the development at the old River Road Country Club, now called Champions Park.

Louisville officials, however, quickly concluded that the project would be infeasible on River Road, mainly because the area is located in the Ohio River flood plain. And Chris Poynter, Mayor Greg Fischer's chief spokesman, said flatly that "we have other priorities" at this time.

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Animal advocacy organization PETA sent a letter to Dana in July about the discussed aquarium-amusement park in Louisville and asked him to reconsider his plans and leave animals out.

The plan shown to Louisville Metro Council called for an $80 million proposal centered on an aquarium. Dana said then that he has "a lot of people interested" in potentially investing in the venture, but no firm commitments. He said he was talking to banks.

Dana acknowledged that he had been shopping the project to various sources in Indiana, including Indianapolis.

Based on the material he distributed to the Metro Council, Dana believed that the aquarium and related development could create more than 300 jobs and, by 2030, draw up to 1.5 million people a year from primarily a 75-mile radius.

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His material indicated that he would try to finance the venture by getting corporations and other entities to sponsor different parts of the project, which he now calls Indiana Fun World. He has a project website at www.IndianaFunWorld.com.

He said revenue would come from admissions, memberships and the sale of souvenirs and gifts. His material said fundraising efforts could cover 20 percent of the annual operating budget, with an attempt to find an initial $1 million line of credit to get started.

The aquarium would have displays on the Amazon rain forest, a tropical reef and ocean ecosystems. Also proposed were extensive educational, conservation and research elements; an Ohio River exhibit; a grand lobby; a 150-seat banquet hall; a retail store; a replica of an ocean-going vessel; and a penguin exhibit; and a shark tank.

According to the Indiana Fun Park website, the project would feature the Sharks Bay Water Park that would have waterslides and pools. Another proposed feature would be The Living Dinosaurs Museum.

There also would be a "fun park" around the aquarium that would include a Ferris wheel, go karts, 20 to 30 other rides, an outdoor restaurant, and a "5-D" simulation theater.

Mike Kimmel, a spokesman for the Louisville Waterfront Development Corp., which oversees Waterfront Park, said the waterfront agency hired a consultant to study the feasibility of a local aquarium around 1990. The study concluded that the project then would cost more than $50 million and would be out of reach of the community.

Kimmel said only one or two aquariums in the country were profitable, and he doubted if the situation has changed much.

The Newport Aquarium located in northern Kentucky, which opened in 1999, is privately owned and doesn't divulge any operational or financial information.

Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at 502-582-7089, or via email at sshafer@courier-journal.com.