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Pleasant Twp. to fight off bedbugs
(by Dedra Cordle, Staff Writer - December 10, 2009)
They can go where few can reach. They can nestle into the curtains, inside dressers, between the crevices of a couch. They can burrow as soundly into a bed as a person does when tucking in for the night. They are bedbugs and they are finding firehouses extremely comfortable to live in.
According to Pleasant Township Trustee Nancy Hunter, they are fighting the bedbug problem at the Prairie Township Fire Department where she works as a 911 communications supervisor, and now the township is taking measures to combat the possibility of the parasites making their home at the Pleasant Township firehouse.
At the Dec. 8 Pleasant Township Board of Trustees meeting, Fire Chief Jay Noojin announced that the department has recently purchased bedbug resistant mattress covers for the seven beds in the firehouse; will "try to keep the station as clean as possible" and
"will be washing and drying bedbug suspected uniforms on the highest level" as they cannot handle intense heat.
Hunter said the bedbug problem is a difficult one to control as they can sometimes get in firefighters boots or on their uniforms, and travel back with them to the firehouse (when they are out responding to a call).
"We're taking small steps, but we are trying to head the problem off before it happens," said Noojin.
Denton Road trestle
The trustees took action by closing Denton Road on Dec. 4 due to the deteriorating condition of the railroad trestle, and now they may have to take more.
At their Dec. 8 meeting, the board voted in favor of seeking legal council in their quest to get RailAmerica, who leases the property from CSX Transport, to cover the cost of the repairs to the trestle. The trestle has been described as "in poor condition" with "pieces of concrete falling off the track and landing on the street below" by Jeff Karn, the superintendent for the Pleasant Township Road Department.
"We're going to ask our attorneys for advice on how to handle this situation," explained Chairman Keith Goldhardt, who says that RailAmerica has not responded to their calls. "We want them to know that we are willing to go to federal court to get it repaired."
The board said the Denton Road is closed indefinitely, except for local traffic and emergency vehicles.
Toy drive
The township fire department will be accepting toys to give to underprivileged children for the upcoming holiday season.
"People can come by anytime and drop them off," said Noojin.
He added that residents could make toy requests by calling 877-4375. The fire department is located at 5373 Norton Road, Grove City.
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