LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Selectmen received more information on membership to the Berkshire County Mosquito Control Project that will be on the town meeting warrant.

 

Before placing and recommending all 10 special town meeting articles Monday, the board heard from Christopher Horton of the mosquito project who explained the program is aimed at monitoring the mosquito population and testing for West Nile virus.

 

"Since we started doing serious surveillance in 2011, we have had West Nile virus in every member community, so you can almost certainly say it is here," Horton said.  

 

The decision to join would be made at November's special town meeting on Nov. 14, with two votes: one to join the project and a second to spend $4,500 to fund preliminary work this spring to prepare for peak mosquito season.

 

The annual cost in its entirety is $14,800 from unrestricted state aid and the $4,500 would fund the program through the remainder of this fiscal year.

 

Horton said testing and surveying would begin as the snow melts and breeding habitats would be identified and mapped. If there is breeding a biological larvacide will be applied to the breeding area. 

 

Potential problem areas will be monitored and eliminated if possible. Horton said when a case is isolated, trucks can spray a "practically nontoxic" insecticide that will wipe out the bugs. He said it only harms mosquitoes. 

 

"It's referred to as ultra-low volume mosquito spray, so we are putting out a tiny amount of an EPA monitored insecticide," he said. "That will kill all adult mosquitoes within 300 feet of the truck."

 

He added that there is local control and the board of health or the selectmen can lay out a protocol. He added that some member communities let residents know when and where there will be spraying. 

 

Voters rejected the program in 2016 at a town meeting and Selectman John Goerlach attributed the defeat to the lack of information they had. He added that by having Horton attend the meeting, the town can do a better job of explaining the program.

 

"We were shot down the last time because they basically said we didn't do our homework so just as long as you know to be prepared for lots of questions as to its safety and hazards and what the chemicals are," he said. "A lot of people got concerned when we talked about truck-mounted spraying."

 

The only article the selectmen did not attach a recommendation to was Article 3 – the school regionalization agreement amendment. Williamstown is voting on the same article the same night; passage by both towns would move their two elementary school districts into the junior-senior regional district. There would be one school board but the towns would retain some control over their elementary spending.

 

"I would be more comfortable just placing it," Goerlach said. "I don't want people swayed by us." 

 

The Selectmen also agreed to make a recommendation on Article 6 at a later date because Selectman Henry Sayers did not attend the meeting. Goerlach did not feel comfortable voting on the article that would extend the limited business district in town because of a possible conflict of interest. 

 

In other business, the selectmen shared their frustration with management at Garden Grill, who have failed to attend a meeting to discuss unpaid fees and after-hour fights. The Garden Grill & Tavern is located in the Berkshire Mall near the Food Court and Target.

 

"I'm going to try to hunt him down because he said two weeks ago he would be at a meeting," Town Manager Paul Sieloff said. "He owes a couple of fines and he is becoming a bad apple here in some ways." 

 

Selectman Robert Ericson said he had questions about why these fights were taking place and felt there may be an overserving problem. 

 

"He has a responsibility there to tone it down and cut people off," he said. "It should be pretty obvious when people are getting inebriated."  

 

Goerlach said there have been multiple police calls to the restaurant and that if management does not attend a meeting to explain what it will do to remedy the situation, the Selectmen will pull Garden Grill's permit.