The Kiwanis Club of Birmingham marked the start of construction of the $4.66 million Kiwanis Centennial Park at Vulcan Park and Museum with a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday afternoon.

The project, which will include a multi-colored light show that can be projected onto the Vulcan statue, is expected to be complete by December 2017.

"Supporting and strengthening our city has always been the mission of the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham," Club President Tom Thagard said in a statement. "Invigorating Vulcan's role as the unifying symbol of Birmingham is fitting for our club's Centennial Project. We hope that it will serve as a catalyst for renovation, rejuvenation and transformation for a new Birmingham.

"Major public improvements are nothing new to the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham. We have a rich history of advancing the civic spirit and improving the infrastructure of our city," he continued.

As part of the club's 100th anniversary, the Kiwanis Club announced the Vulcan Park improvement project in November 2016 and launched a capital fund drive, which will take place over the next five years.

The funds will come from individual member contributions, corporate and civic foundation contributions and easement contributions from the Freshwater Land Trust.

"We are more than two-thirds of the way to our goal of $4.66 million, but still need all the help we can get," Thagard said.

The Kiwanis Centennial Park Project is being completed in cooperation with Vulcan Park and Museum and Freshwater Land Trust. The project has three components:

* Reconnect Vulcan to downtown Birmingham physically as the north side of the park is currently in disrepair. Work will include landscaping the north side of the park, renovation of the lower piazza entrance and building steps for walking access from the north side to the statue itself. This municipal/event space will be known as Kiwanis Centennial Park.

* Construction of a two-mile jogging and biking trail that will extend to Green Springs Highway and serve as the future hub for the planned 750 miles of Birmingham's Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System.

* A dynamic, multi-colored light show designed by Schuler Shook and projected onto Vulcan each night to enhance and project the image of Birmingham's icon.

Vulcan is the world's largest cast iron statue. It was designed by Italian artist Giuseppe Moretti and cast from local iron in 1904.

"In addition to enhancing Vulcan's prominence on the skyline, this visionary project will physically connect Vulcan as the central hub from which residents and tourists will access our cultural institutions and parks. As our community recognizes the significant and varied contributions of the Kiwanis Club in its 100 year history, Vulcan Park Foundation is extremely grateful for the Club's continued commitment to its legacy of transformative parks projects," said Vulcan Park and Museum President and CEO Darlene Negrotto.

According to the Kiwanis Club, a critical aspect of the project is the connection it will make between the Kiwanis Centennial Park/Vulcan Trail and many existing trails in Birmingham, Homewood and Mountain Brook. It will serve as the hub for the planned 750 miles of Birmingham's Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System.

"Kiwanis' Centennial Project enables us to be a better connected community. The trail connection from Vulcan Park to Green Springs Highway is the vital backbone of the Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System. We are so grateful to the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham for their vision and gift of a project that not only highlights our beloved Vulcan, but also gives us a way to be outdoors, together," said Freshwater Land Trust Executive Director Libba Vaughan.

According to the Kiwanis Club, the Birmingham group was the key driver behind the creation of Vulcan Park. In the 1930s, club leaders worked to secure the location and bring the cast iron man to the top of Red Mountain as "a unifying symbol of the city's can-do spirit."