Thursday, November 16, 2000 Older Editions

With BOH backing mosquito vote flies

By Rebecca Piro

Residents put their trust in town health officials and passed Article 13 Tuesday night, reserving Andover a spot in the Northeast Mosquito Control District next spring.

The motion passed by a two-thirds majority at Special Town Meeting in the Collins Center. Approval authorizes the Board of Selectmen to enter into a three-year contract with the district.

The Health Department had submitted the article because of a potentially serious threat of West Nile virus next spring and summer, according to Health Director Everett Penney. Three dead crows found in Andover had tested positive for the disease since October. Despite that evidence, selectmen had recommended disapproval of the article, because they said did not have enough information about the health hazards involved with mosquito control.

Time was a big factor in Tuesday night's vote, with both sides arguing over whether it is better to act now or wait until annual Town Meeting.

"The selectmen believe there is nothing to be lost by waiting, and perhaps there will be some real gains if we wait to vote in the spring," said Selectman Mary French before the vote.

The selectmen wanted to delay a vote until annual Town Meeting, when they would have had a chance to review a pesticides report from the Department of Public Health, due this winter.

Northeast Superintendent Walter Montgomery had said waiting would make no difference, and the town would have known better by spring if surrounding communities planned to join the district, French said. The three-year commitment, at a cost of $78,000 per year, needed more thought, she added.

But waiting could have ruined the town's chances of staying on top of a potentially serious health problem, Board of Health Chairman Douglas Dunbar argued.

"Mosquitoes (can) survive the winter; therefore, they are ready to go in the spring to spread the (West Nile) virus," he said. "By voting for funds now, we can get a commitment from the district to be ready for April. If we (wait until) spring Town Meeting, we lose the chance to be ready."

Though the District cannot actually start spraying until July 1, the beginning of fiscal year 2001, early commitment allows the town to analyze problem areas, such as mosquito breeding grounds, said Penney. Knowing which areas to target ahead of time could limit the amount of pesticide the town will need to spray.

"The resources that will be needed to marshal against this problem will be impossible for us to pull together at the last minute," Penney said.

Resident Frances Wheeler of Hillcrest Road stood up to protest the article, noting that she lives in a mosquito-infested area.

"I have great concerns," she said, adding that the hazards of mosquito spraying greatly outweigh the benefits.

Resident Brad Pearson of Lucerne Drive got the final word. "Our public health officials, the people with the most knowledge in this area, are recommending we do this now. It makes sense to use all the time that's available," he said. "Joining the district now would give us that time."

Article 13 passed by a wide margin.

"The Board of Health is pleased that (it has) the ability now to forecast the resources that they have available for the problem, if and when it arises next spring," said Penney afterwards. "I think it's the right way to go. We would have been at a real disadvantage if we had no idea as a health department what the town was going to do until next April."