As Board of Health Chairman Tom Philippou got up to read Article 39 at last week’s Town Meeting, asking for $165,000 to join the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Program for three years, mosquito control opponents were ready to line up at the microphones. But they never got the chance.
Philippou immediately moved to take no action on the article and changed the subject, presenting instead several ideas that he said would be a “better use of the money.” These included the use of Mosquito Magnets at town fields, rebates for Mosquito Magnets purchased by homeowners, and contracting with universities or private enterprises for mosquito and tick testing in town.
Philippou later explained to the Press that he had intended to withdraw the article all along. “I didn’t expect that there would be enough support. I wanted to generate an honest discussion on both sides. What I wanted to do was to show what sorts of things we could do by thinking outside of the box.”
The BOH is in the process of fleshing out a new mosquito control plan that they hope the town will support. Professors at UMass Amherst have been contacted about putting together a proposal to test for the presence of disease-carrying mosquitoes and ticks in Harvard. The company that sells Mosquito Magnets has been contacted as well. In addition to purchasing a large number of units, the plan may also include paying for a DPW employee to be trained to repair the units. The board hopes to have their new proposal ready for the next Town Meeting.
Philippou thinks that his attempt to stimulate discussion about mosquito control has been successful. “As a result of Town Meeting, I’ve already been contacted by residents about devices that use the same concept as the Mosquito Magnet but operate a bit differently,” said Philippou. “It would be fantastic for Harvard to come up with a unique way to solve this problem.”
