Park Cities Residents Split on Aerial Spraying
During yesterday’s emergency University Park City Council meeting, resident Meg Hillert stood outside patiently, talking to anyone who would listen.
“I’m worried about my six-month-old grandbabies and pets,” she said.
She was, of course, referring to the aerial spraying for West Nile, considered and then approved by the Council yesterday afternoon. She wasn’t the only person concerned. Below you’ll find all of the correspondence received by the city from residents regarding aerial spraying. Thanks to city secretary Liz Spector for compiling and redacting this for me.
This is truly one of those “presented without comment” posts, so have at it:
I think the thing I found most surprising by the collection of emails was the amount of people still using Blackberrys.
If I counted right, there are 18 documents. Out of the 18:
12 are AGAINST aerial spraying
3 are for it
and the remaining 3 documents are just research and reference.
All I can infer is that the UP officials didn’t care to be democratic about it. Our concerns and voices did not matter one little bit.
Our concerns and voices rarely matter even one little bit to the Council. That’s most always been clear. When I read stuff about Aerial Spraying, it always sounds like a bad idea, that it doesn’t fight West Nile at all, and at best provides a couple days’ break in the mosquito population, all at other risks. Yet yesterday’s post said the Council said they had consulted many “health experts”. I don’t know if that was people who know about “health” but don’t know about mosquitoes or aerial spraying, or if they do. I don’t see much information on the Internet that says that Aerial spraying will actually help, so it makes me wonder who (if anyone) they did talk to. But perhaps they said so at the meeting (unlikely from experience), as I wasn’t there.
Seems though, like they made a poor decision, and if that is how it seems to a lot of people, they should at least explain why it is a good idea, and give reasons the arguments against are flawed, so that we as a community can have a little more faith in them.
Meg Hillert wrote at least 5 of the opposing emails, which is not very democratic either.
I feel like I have been transported to some wealthy commune in the Bay Area. People alleging deaths in the family due to some enviro-spray, a goofball attorney threatening lawsuits, and a whack that felt compelled to bombard the council with multiple emails.
Where does one have to go around here for sanity if not in UP? Spray baby, spray!
@Rico: I don’t think writing multiple repetitive letters is undemocratic, but it’s definitely cranky and cat-hoardery.
Neal-If we’re counting how many are for the idea and how many are against, as Patsy Ann is, then stuffing the ballot box just aint the American way. UPDad- Could it be that after the 5th email from the same person ranting about Big Brother running amok, the council members just kinda tune it out? Can you blame them? Christopher- You ARE living in a wealthy commune, except that the Community League has been somewhat able to keep a lid on it. Spray baby, spray!
What do you mean, not democratic? We voted them into office to represent us. Sure, only 300 people voted. Were you one of them? Representing us doesn’t mean they have to do everything we want. We have elected reps because the rest of us aren’t fit to make these kinds of decisions (i.e. not smart enough)
Rico – Yes, that is exactly what I want from a City Council, “tuning out” the research of experts because of one over-zealous citizen. Definitely punish anyone who actually wants to get involved. I’m the first to admit I’m no expert at all. All I know is what I’ve read on the Internet, which admittedly may or may not be 100% accurate. But I’ve yet to see anyone offer any evidence that spraying will help, and I’ve seen lots of stuff pointing to research saying that it will not, and poses other dangers. But I guess if one person happens to trumpet that too loudly, to care too much, then the correct thing to do would be to ignore everything entirely and “tune out” the information.
UPDad- Gobbledygook about Big Brother is not information. It’s BS that gets caught in the filter. “All I know is what I’ve read on the internet” also fits that description.
@hata-I hope you are being sarcastic. If our intellect doesn’t measure up to the mere mortals on the City Council, I think we are all in trouble. Just think, Joe Biden is the Vice President of the United States. That should keep us all up at night.
HP has known about the West Nile virus years ago when it 1st appeared. The media attention went away and the town officials went to back to sleep. Was there any preventative ground spraying in between the town’s first awareness and today? I don’t believe so.
A little effort, prevention, and heads up can go a long way. But now, the town’s residents are being hotboxed by air because of the “smart intellect” of the folks we hire and elect to our local gov’t. Right…Hata?
I chuckle because unknown names like “hata” get on the propaganda wagon and talk about how smart town officials are. This is usually what HP town hall will tell resident taxpayers when you question the six (6) figure salaries paid, including the longevity payments and performance payments (tip… do not call the extra payments “bonuses” because it irritates town hall).
It would be more fun to see who makes some of these comments, hey? Do I hear community leagues?
I’ve tried my best to warn folks about the people who run our towns and sit on our town councils. Too many deaf ears.
This is the tip of the iceberg. Just my own opinion.
Please make sure you don’t allow your kids and pets outside. I believe these chemicals are dangerous!
I’m taking my plane and going to Colorado this afternoon for one last last weekend in the cool. Just because you own property in PC doesn’t mean you have to live there until school starts back up. What’s wrong with you people? This is not difficult. I’ve got room for Meg and UPDad unless his giant head needs another seat, but not all of you fools.
Umm, West Nile is a NATIONAL problem, not an HP/UP problem. And many officials across the country are spraying. Agree or not, let’s not make this an issue of neglect or incompetence by our town officials, whom I hold a pretty dim view of.
I have to chuckle because I want to know when the PARADE will be? You know, the aerial poisoning of N. Texas has to be justified somehow, right town mayors? Magically the West Nile will probably die down, folks involved with the spraying will declare the spraying was a success, do the justification tests…the usual stuff.
There is a bigger picture here. When this is justified once, it probably will continue and folks are subject to our local government forcing aerial assaults on our health. Does not sound so family friendly? There is something about airplanes flying in, loading up with poison and spraying everything below. Does any of this have a familiar ring?
@UP4me…I guess if caring for my family and the families of our town makes us fools, then so be it. At least some of us do not have to hide behind foolish blog names, heh?
Sam,
No, not realizing that UP4me was being sarcastic makes you a fool. And calling people out for using “foolish blog names”, when that is clearly the norm both here and on almost every blog out there.
I appreciate your right to having an opinion, one that I happen to agree with. Maybe you should appreciate others rights to an opinion.
Now settle down “XT.” You must be having a bad reaction to the mesquito spray.
Well, if they really sprayed , it just made them skeeters MAD. Went outside Friday mid-day to pour out the standing water from a plant as directed and boom! got 6 mosquito bites. They swarmed and devoured. Spraying did not work at all in UP.
Lets back up again. HP has known about the West Nile virus since it first appeared several years ago. Was there any preventative ground spraying to combat this virus prior to this “declaration of local state of emergency” last night?
Why was there never a declaration of local state of emergency when this virus was first known by HP years ago? Any follow up spraying afterwards? Someone help me here. Does HP wait to “crises” in order to take action?
Instead of wasting time on banning artificial grass from provate homes in city council meetings, complaining about new technology by a councilmember, and spending on high dollar grills for town hall, a crises is brewing. This is just like HP’s emergency communications system. For years the town has know about this system that was essentially an outdated, inferior system, needing to be warmed, up old tube jalopy. Had we had a disaster, and it failed…good grief. Just like our town records being kept in a town basement that was known to flood.
Don’t cry wolf when you apparrently know about something and do little to nothing to prevent it from happening.
It’s really interesting how diversion takes place on this blog when others begin to talk about “getting into their personal airplane ” and running from crises and blanketly calling everyone else fools. I believe it says alot about someone, and then to have characters like “XT” claim it was sarcastic….
Families are very concerned about HP acting after the crises hits, and then being bombarded by pesticide by air. I’ve said it before, now and will continue to say…a town run like a ship without a captain. Shameful. I guess i’ve exercised my opinion.
mosquito
If you don’t understand that UP4me was being sarcastic, then I can’t help you.
It’s a glorious start to Monday!, “hpparent” is back and the spell checker is on me! Thanks for the correction and chuckle. Hope you have a great week hpparent!
@XT: politely said and chuckling, I’ll have to pass.
Here is what I believe smells FISHY about this entire HP West Nile virus handling by town officials and town council. If HP town administrators, HP councilmembers, and the HP mayor really were in “battle” against this West Nile virus, then why hasn’t there been any repeated (and I mean repeated) constant continuous ground spraying hitting HP streets and alleys each and every night way PRIOR to the aerial spraying and AFTER the aerial spraying of HP? I’m not talking about a few nights of it either. If there is this “battle”, then the ground spraying could have hit our town in the alleys, and streets, each and every night. To depend on the dumping of poison one time on everyone by air by other governments and then declare victory is brow raising. Do I hear freebie?
At all cost and expense Mr. HP Mayor, if you are going to battle against this deadly disease, then do so. Go after this virus and kill it in our town. Please do not wait on an airplane and other government folks to do your responsibility. HP is a very small-manageable town for ground spraying. Valuable time has been wasted long before this “virus crises” hit and afterwards and caught HP sleeping. Let me explain in my further opinion.
What is even more fishy? I received an e-mail from HP Blue Zone News stating on August 10, 2012 for residents to consult with their local nursery or home improvement store for “Mosquito Dunks” and adulticide to buy themselves? At least University Park took the lead and gave these mosquito dunks out for free! HP administrators…. if you are going to battle this West Nile virus, and then have to declare a local state of emergency, then please take charge and not tell residents to visit you local nursery and big box retail stores for a do it yourself solution.
Instead of wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on town hall renovations, hundreds of thousands to simply get a project manager, and complaining about technolgy improvements, thousands on new town limit signs, $7500 grills for town hall, and so on, HP dollars would be better spent on actually protecting the residents by purchasing our own spray equipment and knowing what is actually being sprayed. Stop relying on the data from other government sources and chemiclas.
Time is wasting.