Kingsport approves construction bid Bays Mountain new otter habitat

KINGSPORT — The long-awaited new otter habitat at Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium is making headway after the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to award a construction bid at its recent meeting. Under the resolution, the project will be awarded to BurWil Construction Company for $2.4 million, with a rock allowance of $150 per cubic yard. The total project cost is $2.616 million, which includes a $144,000 contingency and $72,000 in engineering. Kingsport City Manager Chris McCartt said the construction timeline wil be determined during a pre-construction meeting. The new exhibit will mark the return of otters to Bays Mountain for the first time since 2019, when the park's last otter died. The previous habitat no longer met modern standards under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, prompting the multi-year effort to design an upgraded, AZA-compliant exhibit. Alderwoman Colette George praised the project at Tuesday's BMA meeting. "This is super, super cool," George said. "We've worked a really long time, and the staff was wonderful on this, and it is really going to be a wonderful exhibit. They looked at a lot of different exhibits, good and bad, and put together a plan. I'm super excited about it." Funding for the project includes a lead $500,000 donation from Eastman Chemical Co. given in 2020 as a Centennial gift to the city. That contribution, along with support from other donors, helped the city secure a $2.9 million Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant awarded in August 2024. The new habitat is a feature included in the park's broader Park Improvement Plan, developed by the Bays Mountain Park Commission beginning in 2023. Staff and commissioners visited otter exhibits at the Baltimore Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoo, Knoxville Zoo, Grandfather Mountain and the Western North Carolina Nature Center to guide the design. Plans call for a 4-foot underwater viewing area, life-support systems to maintain water clarity, and multiple viewing angles from both the shallow and deep pools. Visitors will also be able to see the otters from the Nature Center balcony. The habitat will be able to house up to three otters.