‘Holy Toledo, Batman, are they building a cave for us??’
07/14/04

No, the bat cave to be constructed Thursday and Friday (July 15-16) is not for Batman and Robin, but for real live winged bats.

This project will be visually awesome!

The cave will be constructed at the Red River Education and Research Park (C. Bickham Dickson Park on Bert Kouns at 70th Street). It will consist of 24 gigantic tires used on SWEPCO earthmoving equipment. Near the center of the cave will be what LSUS Red River Watershed Management Institute Director Gary Hanson refers to as “Big Bertha,” a tire 8 feet, 4 inches (100 inches) in overall diameter and 42 inches wide with an inside opening of just over 4 feet.

SWEPCO has systematically delivered these huge tires to the site, and H&E Equipment Services of Bossier City will provide the excavation and tire placement.

A safety briefing for technicians and volunteers will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday with construction planned to get under way at 10 a.m. Hanson says the project should be at its visual best Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. Since this is only the second attempt in the nation to build “Luxury Condos for Bats,” there is no way of telling exactly what problems may be encountered. And, of course, Murphy’s Laws will no doubt rear their ugly heads throughout.

For more information, don’t hesitate to call Gary Hanson at 318-458-6753.