Bays Mountain Park breaks ground on new otter habitat
The City of Kingsport held a groundbreaking ceremony at Bays Mountain Park on Wednesday afternoon for the park’s new river otter habitat.
The roughly 2,300-square-foot habitat will be located east of the Nature Center, just below the bobcat habitat. The new habitat will be able to accommodate three river otters, is ADA accessible for guests and will feature a close-up underwater viewing area and modern filtration system.
River otters were first introduced at Bays Mountain Park in 1987 and over the years the playful animals became a fan-favorite attraction. Unfortunately, the park has been without any otters since June 2019, when Otto, the last otter, passed away.
Alderwoman Colette George said Wednesday’s groundbreaking represents years of planning, fundraising, design work and public input to bring river otters back to Bays Mountain Park.
“When our last otter died, it was a heartbreaking day in Kingsport. Since then, we’ve been on a path to do a whole new habitat and the right kind of habitat,” George said. “We are the luckiest people in the world to have this park. No other city has what we have and it’s just a blessing. This is going to be wonderful.”
Construction on the new otter habitat is scheduled to begin March 16 and take approximately 18 months to complete. During that time, Bays Mountain Park officials will begin the process of acquiring river otters for the new habitat.
The cost of the project is approximately $2.4 million and is funded in part by a grant from the State of Tennessee and a corporate sponsorship from Eastman Chemical Company. The architectural firm of Coyle & Caron designed the habitat, Collective Architecture designed the Life Saving System and BurWil Construction is the main contractor for the project.
“Otters have been a favorite attraction to everyone who came to Bays Mountain Park when they were first introduced and we’re pleased they’re coming home to a world class facility,” said Russ Brogden, chair of the Bays Mountain Park Commission.
The otter habitat groundbreaking is just the latest in a series of improvements and updates that’s taken place at Bays Mountain Park in recent years. Prior projects include a new planetarium entrance, renovated lobby and gift shop area, new Nature Center exhibits and the opening of the Fox Den playground.
For more information about Bays Mountain Park, please visit www.baysmountain.com.
