The remaining two leaders of the embattled aquarium will soon add two new board members. And they hope to repair the attraction's image, recently damaged by news-media accounts of an alleged theft by a former employee and mass resignations by board members who complained about Andersen's management style.

"We've reached a mutual agreement to finalize the resignation of those four board members," board chairman Brad Carroll said Monday. "We'd like to start to build a board."

Arthur Benjamin, one of the four who voted last week not to renew Andersen's contract, agreed members of the group had relinquished their positions. "We have resigned."

The four had planned to leave the board since February, when six others resigned, but were waiting for Andersen, Carroll and an aquarium employee to sign a legal settlement. Before it was signed on Friday, the four - Benjamin, Laurie Hofmann, Martin Baron and Christopher Layton - met and voted not to renew Andersen's contract, which is up at the end of June.

Carroll said the meeting of the four was invalid and declared that Andersen's contract has been renewed for another three years.

Before the resignation agreement was reached, Carroll and Andersen had threatened to hold a news conference Monday to lay out complaints against the four.

Carroll hopes to muzzle the group by vowing to watch for any leaks to the media or discussions with government officials or donors about the aquarium. He said that would violate the resignation agreement.

"The aquarium board, a media specialist and legal counsel will closely monitor compliance," Carroll said in an e-mail to reporters.

On Thursday, Carroll and Andersen will add Fred Grimmer, a doctor, and James Marshall, owner of Johanna's Kitchen, to the board. Carroll also plans to form an advisory board of political and community leaders who can "put a public face on the aquarium."

Carroll vowed to move forward on a "forensic audit" of the aquarium's finances, though he noted the facility operates in the black. The audit is being prompted by allegations that a former employee stole from the aquarium. The District Attorney's Office is reviewing the allegations.

Former Congresswoman Enid Greene, who resigned from the board last year, told The Salt Lake Tribune last week that "current management" couldn't be trusted with $34 million in public funds the aquarium sought to build a permanent facility. She said the aquarium, which operates a temporary facility in Sandy, was run unprofessionally.

Said Carroll: "Brent has not conducted any illegal or unethical transactions. The books are open to any public scrutiny."

Carroll said the aquarium no longer plans to seek a public bond - a decision he said was made before the recent controversies and one that would have to be vetted by the new board.

Last August, the Salt Lake County Council refused to vote on whether to put the aquarium bond on the ballot even after the county's Debt Review Committee gave its approval.

Carroll didn't like the strings the committee attached to its recommendation.

Now, he wants to seek private donors to build an aquarium in two phases: The first would include a 50,000-square foot aquarium with 500,000 gallons of water displays. The second phase would add another 40,000-square feet with a major exhibit with reefs and sharks.

hmay@sltrib.com