City Hall Zaps Bird Problem with Bird-Shock Flex-Track

TRUJILLO ALTO, Puerto Rico — The brand new city hall building inTrujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, was under siege and the dedication ceremony had not even taken place yet. Pigeons and grackles took up residence on the structure immediately upon completion, and the messy droppings and nesting materials piling up were not attractive to the city managers, who had looked forward to working in the beautiful new building

Though the project architect suggested bird netting to resolve the problem, once Roberto Rivera and Bird Exclusion Systems were brought on board, Rivera suggested using Bird Barrier’s Bird-Shock Flex-Track, a new electrical bird control product that would be even less visible than bird net on the new structure.

“There were several challenges this particular bird problem presented that eliminated the use of other bird control products,” said Cameron Riddell, president of Bird Barrier America who consulted with Rivera on the bird problem. “Because both pigeons and grackles were nesting, product selection was limited to bird net or Flex-Track, as bird spikes do not deter grackles and smaller birds.”

“Additionally, there were some unique architectural elements and high traffic areas that made netting very difficult,” Riddell continued. “It was important that the product be low visibility and Flex-Track is only one-quarter inch high so it blends in with almost any architecture.”

Another significant factors in the product selection lay with the track’s ability to conform to almost any curved/arched surface. This gave the installation team the flexibility to install the track on rooftops and window ledges where the birds were loafing, as well as several arched surfaces and even signs and lighting with relative ease.

Rivera described the installation process, saying “It was a large building and we needed to clean and sanitize  the areas before we were able to install the product, so the entire installation took almost three weeks to complete. The results were great though – there are no birds on that building whatsoever.”

Mayor Pedro A. Padilla Ayala was so elated he brought Rivera and his installation team up to the podium for special recognition during the building dedication ceremony in front of several thousand people. City officials were excited to finally move into their new building. They and their constituents are now able to enjoy the architecture of the new city hall without pesky pigeons and other birds leaving their mark.

An upper ledge (B) is covered by a large concrete overhang (A). More than 500 feet of Flex Track are used on this part of the building.

Single-sided ledges (A) are protected with one row of Flex-Track, while double-sided (B) are protected with two rows. Protected surfaces, like the corners, are protected with three and four rows.