The Bethlehem Town Board has agreed to go forward with the creation of a citizens advisory board to discuss how to better control the town’s deer population.
Supervisor John Clarkson first referenced the possible creation of such a committee during this year’s State of the Town address. He said a number of residents have approached town officials in recent years, with many concerned about the possible spread of Lyme disease.
“We want to look into what, if any, suitable options can take place that the town can put into policy to combat the issue,” said Clarkson in a later interview.
The supervisor said the matter was of high concern for a number of residents, and the issue was brought up several times during the last election cycle as candidates for town board went door-to-door. Residents were not only concerned about Lyme disease, but the number of traffic accidents that have been caused in town by deer. Others have been concerned that the larger numbers of deer are disturbing their gardens.
The group will be formed to evaluate the issues related to the town’s growing deer population. Clarkson said the town would be looking to put together a diverse group of committee members with “scientific, medical, wildlife and conservation expertise.”
A number of people have already showed interest in joining the committee, which is expected to share its findings by year’s end. Clarkson said he would like to see data that compares how towns of a similar size combat the issue, and the relations between increased deer populations and the spread of Lyme.
“I don’t know the answer to all of these questions, but I do know that community members are extremely concerned,” said Clarkson. “We do have a number of deer in town.”
The supervisor said similar discussions in others towns have been contentious, but just because a topic is contentious doesn’t mean it should not be discussed.
“If you know someone, and chances are you do, who’s been touched by Lyme, it can be a great tragedy,” said Clarkson. “The treatments and diagnoses are not settled, and I think we have a responsibility to look at this and see if there are reasonable options for us to pursue.”
Councilman Jeffery Kuhn agreed that he too heard a lot about the issue while running for town board.
“I think there are sections of this town where it seems Lyme disease is almost at an epidemic level, and I think we would be remiss in our responsibilities to the town if we don’t at least investigate what, if anything, we can do to try and remedy the problem,” said Kuhn.
Residents interested in serving on the committee should send a letter of interest with one’s background information to the Supervisor’s Office.
Transfer station opening longer
At the same meeting, Highway Superintendent Brent Meredith said funds had been found in the department’s budget that would allow for the town’s transfer station to remain open longer this spring.
Meredith said the plan calls for hiring a part-time worker to be at the transfer station three days a week to allow access for residents and commercial users who are looking to purchase larger loads. This would mean the station would be fully staffed for those three days with an attendant, a loader and a loader operator.
“Really, the bigger problem was trying to figure out how to provide greater access to the facility so people could come in, get compost as they need it and drop off yard waste to do their projects,” said Meredith.
The new plan would allow for resident access five days a week, because there is already a full-time staff member on-site composting products. However with no attendant, there would be no one there to collect fees on those particular days.
To balance the funds, Meredith asked for an increase in fees for residents and commercials users seeking larger loads. Compost for residents seeking smaller portions, and who do not need help loading the product, would then be free. Those who need help loading would need to pay the increase from $16 to $18.