Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on March 27: Looking at the Possible Dangers of Mosquito Spraying

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Wednesday, March 27. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham:  1. Sun: The sun should dominate the sky to start the day and clouds may move in later on, and temperatures will again get into the upper 40s. 2. Mosquitos: The forum designed to look at the dangers of spraying mosquitoes during the summertime is scheduled for Wednesday night in Gloucester. It had been planned for earlier this month but had to be postponed because of a snowstorm on the original date. 3. Technology: Karen Janowski is a national expert of assistive technology for students and she is coming to Wenham on Wednesday night. Her presentation at 7 p.m. at Buker Elementary School will talk about assistive technology that can help students …

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Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on March 7: Pirie Property Review Committee Meets for Second Time in Three Days

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Thursday, March 7. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Storm: Thursday will be a stormy day, with snow accumulating up to 2 inches and wind gusting from the north up to 50 miles per hour. 2. Mosquitos: Last summer, many residents expressed concern about the possible dangers of the spray used to combat mosquitos carrying West Nile Virus or EEE. On Thursday night, Cape Ann Mosquito Forum is holding an event to discuss the issue with experts from 6-8 p.m. at Cruiseport Gloucester in Gloucester. 3. Consumers: This week is National Consumer Protection Week. Staff from Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office has a series of presentations, workshops and informational tables planned for this week to help …

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March Panel to Examine Dangers of Summertime Mosquito Spraying

Health officials in Hamilton and other North Shore towns plans to think long and hard about the best way to treat mosquito-borne disease next summer.

When mosquito-borne illness were found last summer in Hamilton and Wenham, trucks went through neighborhoods at night spraying to kill the mosquitoes. But is it the answer? A roundtable discussion next month will examine the issue. "The impulse is yes, we have to do something," Health Agent Leslie Whelan told the Board of Health when she first announced the event. Some North Shore communities, including Essex and Gloucester, are not members of the Northeast Massachusetts Mosquitoo Control Board. And the Rockport Board of Health has recommended to its Board of Selectmen not to join. The Cape Ann Mosquito Forum is planned for Thursday, March 7 from 6-8 p.m. at Cruiseport Gloucester in Gloucester. The forum will look at the health risks of …

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Wenham Quickly Follows Suit, Lifts Evening Activity Ban Too

The ban on publicly organized evening activities in Wenham was been lifted ion Thursday afternoon.

Wenham made the same move on Thursday as Hamilton had done a day earlier – the Board of Health lifted its evening activity ban. The lifting on the ban was announced in a Connect-CTY phone and e-mail message at about 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. The ban on publicly organized outdoor activities in Wenham between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. had been in place since Oct. 1 because of concern about mosquito-borne illness such as West Nile Virus and Eastern equine encephalitis. The Hamilton Board of Health met on Wednesday night and voted 3-0 to lift the ban, noting that temperatures below freezing on Oct. 13 had significantly lowered the threat of disease from mosquitoes because of a reduced population. The Wenham Board of Health had been scheduled to meet on …

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Hamilton Activity Ban Lifted, Evening Trick-or-Treating Can Go Ahead

The Hamilton Board of Health lifted the evening activity ban, after 24 days, on Wednesday allowing evening Trick-or-Treating to happen on Halloween.

The evening activity ban in Hamilton has been lifted, effective immediately, meaning Trick-or-Treating can go ahead as planned on Wednesday. The three-member Hamilton Board of Health unanimously voted to lift the ban when it met on Wednesday night at Hamilton Town Hall, making the decision in about 15 minutes. “The mandatory ban is no longer in place,” Hamilton Board of Health Chairman Lindle Willnow said, adding that the board encourages residents to use “extreme precautions” after 5 p.m. and before 8 a.m., when the activity ban had been in place. Willnow noted that the board’s warning was especially pointed at Trick-or-Treat on Wednesday. It was the first time the board had met since Oct. 13, when temperatures dropped into the high 20s …

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Robert Gates

9:46 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Board of Health did mention that "indoor mosquitoes" could carry West Nile Virus and could still be alive, but that "indoor mosquitoes" are not those that carry EEE.   more ›

Could Trick-or-Treating Be Rescheduled?

An evening activity ban remains in place for both Hamilton and Wenham and the forecast through Halloween does not show temperatures falling below freezing.

The Hamilton Board of Health is anticipated to consider on Wednesday whether the evening activity ban may be lifted before Halloween next week. Trick-or-Treating traditionally happens from 5-8 p.m. on Halloween in both towns. But on Oct. 1, the Hamilton Board of Health put in place a ban on organized outdoor activities between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. - both publicly and privately organzied. The same is in place in Wenham, but extends just to publicly organized events. The board's agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting at Hamilton Town Hall says it will get a "mosquito/EEE update" and hear resident complaints about the spraying and hear about the level of toxidity of the spray. When asked about the possible impact of the ban on Trick-or-Treating, Town …

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Hamilton One of Few Remaining Towns With Evening Activity Ban

The ban will remain in place until temperatures drop below 28 degrees for four hours or more.

Hamilton remains one of a handful of communities north of Boston where the evening outdoor activity ban will remain in place after Saturday morning’s cold snap. Earlier this week, scores of communities from the greater Newburyport area to Cape Ann lifted the ban, citing the temperatures into the 20s on Saturday morning. On Thursday, Hamilton Town Manager Michael Lombardo said that the temperature in Hamilton dropped to 29 degrees for just an hour on Saturday morning. When the ban was put in place on Oct. 1, the Board of Health said that it would only be lifted only after a hard freeze – temperatures of 28 degrees or less for four hours or longer – or the threat level is lowered. The ban was put in place to protect residents from the threat…

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Town Manager: Not Cold Enough To Consider Lifting Activity Ban

The temperatures did not drop low enough for long enough on Saturday morning for a deep freeze.

Saturday morning's temperatures dipped to 29 degrees, not cold enough for the Boards of Health to consider lifting the evening organized activity ban in both. "It never reached 28," Town Manager Michael Lombardo said on Saturday. It needed to drop to 28 degrees or lower for four hours or longer for a hard freeze, he said. A hard freeze was needed to lift the ban. Earlier this month, the Boards of Health in both towns put in place an organized activity ban from 5 p.m. through 8 a.m. because of the threat of Eastern equine encephalitis. On Thursday, WHDH-TV meteorologist Pete Bouchard told Hamilton-Wenham Patch that there was a good chance of a hard freeze on Saturday morning. But Lombardo said National Weather Service records indicate that …

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Concerned

7:52 am on Monday, October 15, 2012

I haven't seen a mosquito in at least 3 weeks. Enough already. Haven't they sprayed twice? I'm all for being safe but this is just a waste of time now.   more ›

As Threat Level Remains 'Critical,' Mosquito Spraying Planned Thursday in Hamilton

Mosquito spraying will occur along Essex and Sagamore streets in Hamilton on Thursday night.

Chemicals will again be sprayed on Thursday night in a portion of Hamilton to kill mosquitoes, as the town’s threat level for mosquito-borne illnesses remains at the highest level - “critical.” On Monday, the Hamilton Board of Health voted to ban all organized outdoor activities on both public and private property from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. until the threat level drops or there is a hard frost. The move to enact the outdoor activities ban came after a horse in Essex tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis last weekend. Since Hamilton borders Essex, has similar habitat and had a mosquito test positive for EEE earlier this summer, the threat level was raised to the highest level – critical – by the state Department of Public Health. The …

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Mosquito Threat Now 'Critical,' All Evening Outdoor Activity Banned

Concerns about mosquitoes infected with West Nile Virus and EEE have elevated the risk level in Hamilton to "critical" and prompted the Boards of Health in both towns to ban organized outdoor activity.

All organized outdoor activity has been banned during the evenings and overnight in Hamilton and Wenham because of concern about Eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile Virus in mosquitoes. The Hamilton Board of Health made the decision in a vote on Monday night and the Wenham Board of Health followed with a similar decision, according to a tape of the meeting on HWCam. The vote was prompted after the state Department of Public Health declared the threat level in Hamilton as “critical,” the highest of five levels when describing the concern about public health from mosquitoes. The threat level went to critical after a horse on a farm on Milk Street in Essex tested positive for EEE over the weekend. The “critical” level extends to …

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