A divided City Council Wednesday adopted a stringent ordinance banning city use of toxic pesticides and herbicides in all situations, refusing to make an exception for wasps and bees.
Public Works Director Randy Witt requested the exception, calling it a safety issue for his road crews, particularly those allergic to insect bites.
Instead, on a 4-2 vote, the council directed that the pesticide ordinance contain no exceptions, a recommendation made by the Washington Toxics Coalition.
Councilwoman Deborah Vann, argued that the Bainbridge Island School District’s pesticide use policy, which makes no exceptions, should work for the city as well.
Witt said that in most circumstances, the city adheres to the same policy as the school district, which calls for physical removal of wasps during cool periods when they are inactive. That doesn’t work, though, when mowers trimming roadside vegetation accidentally disturb a nest, and wasps fly into the cab, he said.
Mint oil, the non-toxic spray used by the school district, doesn’t seem to work on flying wasps, Witt said.
“Our experience is that it only makes them mad,” he said.
School district facilities director Mike Currie agreed that mint oil is of limited use when a nest is disturbed.
“Mint oil makes them groggy, so they fall down and you can step on them,” he said, “but when they’re flying, it does make them mad, like spraying them with water. In that case, our policy is to…come back later.”
The council directed the Public Works Committee to draft an ordinance based on a model submitted by the Toxics Coalition.
Votes to create an ordinance rather than a policy and to provide no wasp exception were 4-2, with Vann, Debbie Vancil, Christine Nasser Rolfes and Michael Pollock in favor, and Norm Wooldridge and Lois Curtis opposed.
In light of the no-exception decision, Witt said he might have to reassign allergic employees away from mowing duty.
– John Waldo
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***Ericksen bids a nice surprise
The city got a pleasant surprise when the bids for Ericksen Avenue reconstruction were opened this week – they came in lower than expected.
Low bidder on the job was Pape and Sons of Gig Harbor, the company that did the construction work on Lower Madison, Brien and Bjune Avenues in 1999. Pape’s bid of $1.32 million was roughly $100,000 below the city’s estimate.
Other bids ranged from $1.34 million to $1.45 million.
The project will rebuild Ericksen Avenue from Winslow Way to Wallace Way. The project involves installing new sewer and water lines, new storm drains, sidewalk and bike lane on the west side and wider shoulders on the east, and repaving.
While the council has approved a resolution to put the utilities underground, that was done after the bid package was prepared, and will become an add-on, said Lay Chin Foo of the city’s public works department.
Public Works Director Randy Witt said the contract should be awarded in early May. Plans call for work to finish during the summer, but a schedule won’t be developed until after the bid is awarded.
One lane of the street will remain open during most of the construction, Witt said.
– John Waldo
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***HHHS request for proposals
Bainbridge Island’s Health, Housing and Human Services Council is seeking funding proposals for 2004 for services from non-profit agencies providing services to Bainbridge Island residents.
In 2003, $237,100 was allocated from the city for such services. Eight agencies currently receive funding from $4,500 to $85,000, to provide youth services, daycare, volunteer in-house and transportation services, and support to families in crisis and financial need.
HHHS has the responsibility for reviewing the applications and making funding recommendations to the city for service contracts to include in their 2004 budget.
Applications will be available starting April 28 at the mayor’s office. They are due by 4 p.m. June 6 at City Hall. For information on eligibility for funding, contact Jan Lambert at 842-9335.
