GRAFTON, Mass. – Grafton's lack of mosquito spraying will be addressed at the October Town Meeting after a late summer marked by EEE and West Nile Virus scares.
Grafton sent out a Code Red Alert Tuesday warning residents to avoid outdoor activities after dusk and take precautions against mosquitos. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has set Grafton's Eastern Equine Encephalitis risk level at high and the school department is mandating that all school-sponsored outdoor activities conclude by 7 p.m.
"In Grafton, we only have one site where mosquitoes are tested," Grafton Health Agent Lois Luniewicz said. "The towns that are tested usually belong to the Central Mass. Mosquito Control Project and they usually test in more than one spot."
Grafton Town Meeting was last asked to join the Northborough-based Central Mass. Mosquito Control Project in 2007. That request, like two others before it, failed to gain the approval of voters, many of whom expressed concern about the health of honey bee hives in town.
"We're hoping, with everything going on with West Nile and EEE, it will pass this time," Luniewicz said.
West Nile Virus and EEE season started early this year due to the light winter and extended warm season. Mosquitoes testing positive for both viruses have been found in towns surrounding Grafton. A Westborough man recently died from EEE and a Central Mass. child became the third person in the state diagnosed with the virus this year.
The Grafton Soccer Club sent a notice to parents Tuesday noting that all practices and games will be stopped 30 minutes prior to sunset, around 6:30 p.m. All children must wear insect repellant regardless of the time of day, the notice said.
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Mosquito Spraying Becomes Hot Issue For Grafton Town Meeting
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Grafton's lack of mosquito spraying will be addressed at the October Town Meeting.
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Comments (6)
In an emergency situation, by State law, the town via the selectmen can deficit spend without a town meeting appropriation. Normally this is done with the snow removal account but it can be applied to other emergency situations such as this EEE health threat.
(("In Grafton, we only have one site where mosquitoes are tested," Grafton Health Agent Lois Luniewicz said))...Yes, and I bet the location is at the Dunkin Donuts where Lois gets her bed-wetter size coffee. It seems ludicrous that Lois would spend so much time on something as small as a mosquito, but yet cover up something as huge as the rat infestation at Grafton Pizza.
If I understand this plan it says that this can only be accepted at the fall town meeting in October. The bugs will be gone by then, but it is a wise plan to get back into due to the health hazards. I am hoping the BOH does something about the Rat problem in the Hollywood Drive area. I know some residents up there who are seeing Rats in their yards on a daily basis and they claim the BOH has failed to act quick enough. As we know Rats carry many germs and disease.
This past weekend I was in the plaza where Grafton Pizza, etc is and I remember seeing people cleaning brush and the landscaping around that building. It also looked like a newer looking dumpster was at Grafton Pizza. When I stopped at Cumbie's on my way to work last week, there was a pest control vehicle at that plaza too. My guess is the BOH is working on this, but it takes time to get rid of all the rats.
Unfortunately, it sounds like the Board of Health tried to get the town to join 3 times in the recent past and the voters voted it down each time. Hopefully this time the voters will be more concerned with the health of fellow humans.
Seriously! What is the matter with this town? So, someone needs to get sick or die before spraying becomes a priority? I doesn't take a scientist to figure out that if the surrounding town have it then we probably do to. Why wait for a tragedy?