After not having its bird aviary available for the past few years, the Frankfort Parks Department officially got its facility back and going Thursday afternoon with a ribbon cutting ceremony held at TPA Park.
“I believe that this will be another gem built in the Gem City,” said Frankfort Mayor Chris McBarnes. “It’s another amenity that will work to attract more people to live in our community. We want to take care of our existing parks just as much as we want to expand our parks system in Prairie Creek Park. This was a partnership between the Community Foundation, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay and the City of Frankfort.”
Frankfort Parks Superintendent Travis Sheets said that the aviary renovation was made possible by the Community Foundation’s donation of $45,000 for the purchase of building materials. The aviary will officially open on Friday, May 24, through the first week of August. Hours will be 1-3 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. daily.
“We started off not able to find a contractor willing to touch such a project,” said Sheets. “We did have a contractor that came to us and said they thought they had a crew that might be able to take care of our needs. Clinton Taylor stepped up and we were able to put the wire on the aviary and the roof and that was the beginning.”
Parks Department employees are currently putting the finishing touches on the aviary which will be handicap accessible and will include a covered feeding area, a waterfall, seating areas, and a winding concrete path. It will also be home to about 350 birds plus some iguanas and fish.
“It’s kind of one of those humps in the road,” said Sheets. “This was always looming. It’s a great thing for Frankfort as far as an educational facility and a destination point. We’ll look forward to a very busy summer.”
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