Amsbury spraying for mosquitoes

July 16, 2009

Northeast Mosquito Control began spraying at Woodsom Farm and Birchmeadow Road on July 3. Truck spraying takes place throughout the mosquito season depending on conditions and mosquito populations. The pesticide, known as Anvil, contains a manmade product similar to natural components found in chrysanthemum flowers, which poses a low risk of acute, temporary health effects to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No special precautions are recommended. Residents who wish to opt out of spraying can contact Northeast Mosquito Control at 978-463-6630. Public notices regarding future spraying will be posted on www.ci.amesbury.ma.us. Additional information regarding Anvil and mosquito-borne diseases is available at the Department of Health website: www.mass.gov/dph. - David Cogger

BUILDING THE FUTURE - The next generation of scientists must not only be great researchers, but great communicators, and the National Science Foundation is allocating $2.4 million to ensure they are. The five-year grant will be used to teach University of Lowell graduate students in science and engineering how to explain their research to high school students and teachers in Lowell and Lawrence through a program called GK-12: Vibes and Waves In Action. Participating graduate students also will be expected to build classroom experiments based on the project theme on sound and electromagnetic vibrations and waves, which relates to high school physics and math curriculum, according to teachers who participated in a pilot version of the program. - Katheleen Conti

TRASH FEE CHANGES - The Board of Selectmen recently voted to adopt a new pay-as-you-throw trash plan. Residents now may purchase $1.25 stickers that are placed on the top bag in a barrel, but under the new plan, residents will pay $2 for a 32-gallon bag. The change calls for everything to go to the transfer station in a bag, and no annual fee for the transfer station. Residents will be allowed to dispose of one bulky item per week, with a sticker from the Department of Public Works. The board held two public hearings on the subject prior to voting, said Town Administrator Wayne Melville, and expects further feedback before it goes into effect after Labor Day weekend. - David Rattigan

RECYCLING INCREASES - The town’s single-stream recycling program has been so successful that it may have outgrown the blue, 18-gallon containers the town has provided to hold the recyclables. Public works officials have suggested the town begin selling larger bins on wheels. The new bins would come in two sizes: 32 gallons for $35 and 65 gallons for $45. The town also could increase the price of the 18-gallon containers, which will still be used, from $7 to $8 and the cost of the town’s pay-as-you-throw blue bags from $1.60 to $2 for large bags and from 80 cents to $1 for small bags. A public hearing will be held before any changes are made. - Tom Long

DEVELOPER MISSES DEADLINE - It looks like south Nashua won‘t get a new “lifestyle center’’ after all. The prospective developers of Nashua Landing missed the June 25 deadline to file for a project extension from the city. The proposed outdoor mall on the banks of the Merrimack River on the former site of the Hampshire Chemical Co. was to be developed as a lifestyle center that would simulate a Main Street shopping environment with retail storefronts lining car-less streets. -Tom Long