UTICA, N.Y.(WKTV) -The three tortoises at the Utica Zoo have some new digs.

Students with the Oneida County Summer Youth Program spent their Summer break working to make the zoo more appealing to visitors, and its animals.

The tortoises are outside at the Utica Zoo, and thanks to the work of a group of students through the Oneida County Summer Youth Program, they can now enjoy an outdoor enclosure and stay warm and safe in their new home.

It took four students from Proctor High School about six weeks to build the tortoise house. They also spent their summer building a new house for the emus and an arbor to grow hops.

This is the first time some of these students have picked up a hammer.

For others, they used their experience from years past with the Summer Youth Program to move the project along. They say there's no greater feeling than seeing their work on public display.

"For the next generation, when I come and visit the zoo, and I will be telling my kids that this is what i did when I was a kid. So it's amazing to see what we can accomplish in six weeks," said Ahsan Ali, a senior at Proctor High School.

"It was a win-win situation all around," said Beth Irons, the Zoo Director. "The students benefited from the experience, the zoo benefited, and our tortoises which are the stars of the show."

Work is not done yet. The students still need to put a stone finish on the outside and next year there is talk of putting in heated floors and solar panels.