The director of the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority has hired an insect specialist to help construct a long-term plan to handle the ongoing bedbug infestation at Stonequist Apartments.
Ed Spychalski told the City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 20, that an entomologist has been hired to train Stonequist employees on how to treat the 176-unit apartment complex for bedbugs, explaining “there’s a difference between an exterminator who takes a three-week course” and a person who studies the bugs professionally.
The decision to hire the professional came five months after Spychalski first heard of the bug problem in July. This was a concern for council members who asked housing authority officials to update them about the situation.
Accounts Commissioner John Franck asked if the Housing Authority had known about the bugs for so long, why were they still a problem.
“The feeling I got in my discussion is that it is considerably worse than you are saying,” he said.
Dennis Brunelle, the chairman of the Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners, said the bugs were not a major issue and the building does not have an infestation like residents have claimed. “We are doing everything reasonable to contain it,” he said.
Spychalski told the council the problem has gotten worse over the last two months and only one resident reported having the bugs in July. He said now nine residents have reported having the bugs, but others may have them and not reported the problem to maintenance.
The council was not told how employees would be better equipped to deal with the bugs after being trained by the entomologist but Teresa Grocki, a resident who first reported the issue to the city, said she saw white powder being spread around the baseboards of the complex.
By her count, 18 apartments still have the bugs and she has passed the information along to U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson’s office. She said as recently as Sunday, Dec. 18 she saw an adult bug in her bathtub. She has been capturing the ones she sees and keeping them in jars.
Spychalski said residents have been permitted the use of a steam cleaner to kill the bugs, and maintenance staff are willing to steam any resident’s apartment who is unable to do the job themselves. Mattress covers are also being sold in the building’s office. Anyone who cannot afford covers can set up a payment plan. Residents are also shown educational videos about how to deal with the pests.
Grocki said in an interview several days after the meeting that obviously those precautions are not enough because the bugs are still there. Residents were told they could pay for fumigation of their apartments themselves if they wished.
“We’re living in low-income housing,” said Grocki. “Most of us don’t have that kind of money.”
Instead, she purchased her own steamers to kill the bugs, along with bug spray and a mattress cover. She she’s already spent hundreds in an attempt to get rid of the bugs and paying for fumigation herself is not an option.
Scott Peterson, an attorney for the housing authority, said officials had looked into fumigating the whole building, but because of limited funding it was not a viable option.
Spychalski told the council that residents should not be frightened of retaliation if they report the bugs, although according to Grocki after she first spoke to the city about the bugs a notice was placed on the bulletin board that stated rent may increase to pay for extermination fees. This led some residents to become angry with her for speaking up.
“I didn’t do it to be vengeful, I spoke up because I can’t live like this anymore,” she said. “I, like many of the people who live in Stonequist, have no place else to go.”
According to Spychalski, some residents may not have come forward about having bugs because they feel embarrassed.
“People don’t want the stigma. But it doesn’t mean people are dirty if they have bedbugs. It’s not a hygiene issue,” he told the council.
He said residents need to be willing to work with the Housing Authority to correct the problem and make smart decisions about what is brought into the building.
“I know people bring in used furniture and I have seen people take things out of dumpsters. This is never going to work if the residents don’t work with us,” he explained.
Grocki said that’s not the main issue, but rather it’s how long it’s taken to do something about the pests.
“Other people also go to thrift stores and go buy used furniture to bring home,” she said. “He’s not taking responsibility and laying blame on the tenants.”
Mayor Scott Johnson said the council continues to be concerned about the matter and is looking to see a quick resolution.
Spychalski said getting rid of the bugs will take some time.
“These things don’t happen overnight,” he said.
