Springfield Township officials have agreed to work with their counterparts in Rose, Groveland and Brandon Townships on an educational campaign to help fight mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus.
Springfield will contribute $7,000 of an expected $9,200 Oakland County grant toward common brochures, press releases and a video production to be shared among the four townships. The remaining funds will be adequate to pay for larvacide treatment of township retaining ponds
Clerk Nancy Strole has taken the lead on researching the West Nile problem, and previously reported that public education is the biggest priority. By having property owners take care of standing water, officials hope to prevent the growth of ‘urban? mosquitoes that carry the virus.
The challenge, Strole said, is how to reach everyone with the message.
‘You can’t just hit individuals once,? she said. ‘You have to hit them a number of times. You have to give them more than one message.?
To accomplish that, the planning firm of Carlisle/Wortman Associates proposed the mailing of three brochures to educate the public on the causes of the virus, ways to prevent it and ways to protect from it.
Springfield Township will save some money by mailing the first brochure with June property tax bills, with an estimated total cost of $15,180.
Carlisle/Wortman estimated a cost of $2,915 to create a script for the video presentation.
Supervisor Collin Walls repeated the conclusion of researchers who say regular wetlands such as lakes and ponds do not generally produce the ‘urban? mosquito believed to carry the West Nile Virus.
The Road Commission for Oakland County has already begun cleaning public catch basins so the larvicide can be applied. Walls said the larvicide is packaged in such a way that it can be safely applied without special training.
Resident Kathy Houston is among those glad the township board opted against spraying to kill adult mosquitoes.
‘I am very thankful there are no plans for chemical spraying,? Houston wrote to Strole. ‘Hoping to hit a few of these ‘tiny moving targets? would more likely have larger human health repercussions from the chemicals.?