The Associated Press

ABERDEEN - Pigeons and the yucky waste they leave behind are a problem in downtown Aberdeen, but one building manager has come up with a partial solution.

Randy Grismer, general manager at The Alonzo Ward Plaza, has put together a pigeon condo by horizontally attaching 170 coffee cans on plywood. The nesting facility is located on the roof of the hotel and condominium complex.

Once pigeons start using the coffee cans, their eggs can be removed and destroyed in hopes of cutting the pigeon population.

Pigeons have long plagued downtown businesses, said Margot Gillette, economic manager for the Downtown Association.

"It's the No. 1 complaint of downtown," she said.

Grismer installed his pigeon condo near the Ward's air-conditioning units and will use food and nesting material to lure birds into it. The next step is to install wire mesh at the base of the units to keep the pigeons from nesting under them.

Each morning, roughly 20-30 pigeons hang out on the roof of the Ward, he said.

Aberdeen hires a pigeon trapper, but the birds always bounce back because their mating cycle is just 6 weeks.

A new plan to control the messy birds includes the trapper but also implements includes education for property owners on ways reduce the number of pigeons nesting on their roofs, installing pigeon condos, and evicting birds from their current nesting places.

Pigeons aren't just annoying, Grismer said. They can damage property.

He said feathers and feces and pigeon carcasses in air-conditioning units and exhaust fans can be costly to fix.

"It's disgusting," he said.

The Alonzo Ward Plaza spent $1,700 to clean a rooftop and about a month later it's again covered in pigeon feces, he said.

The birds are attracted to air-conditioning units and exhaust vents because they give off heat, he said.