Unconvinced that the town is getting its money’s worth from the county integrated pest management program, one Tisbury resident proposed this week that the town establish its own program.
“I think we can do it for cheaper and also want to add skunks,” said Joe Tierney, who is chairman of the town emergency services facility building committee. His remarks came at the selectmen’s meeting Wednesday.
Mr. Tierney suggested adding a $10,000 article on the annual town warrant for a town pest management program. He said under the county program, the town will pay $16,000 in the 2014 fiscal year, although county manager Martina Thornton said the next day that the figure was incorrect; Tisbury will pay $12,861 for pest management services in the coming fiscal year. The county program is used by all six towns for insects and rodents, but does not include skunk control. This year the towns will pay for 100 per cent of the program, because the county has phased out a shared cost arrangement in recent years. “I think it’s an excellent program,” selectman Jeffrey Kristal said. “Whether we use it effectively is the question here.”
“We don’t know what the workload is, we don’t even know the customers,” he added.
The selectmen voted to add the article to the warrant for now, requesting more information from the county.
The selectmen continued their review of other articles for the annual town meeting.
They also approved a request from the Black Dog Tavern to close from Jan. 7 to March 27 for repairs, renovations and the construction of a covered patio.
And a nearby year-round restaurant may have to throw out its paper plates — permanently. Rocco’s Pizzeria owners Peter Sullo and Christopher Pantaloni asked the selectmen for relief from beer and wine license regulations that require meals to be served on dinnerware, no disposable plates allowed. “We would spend $3,500 on a dishwasher, another $1,500 for china,” Mr. Sullo said. “It doesn’t make sense for us to serve a slice of pizza or a sandwich on china. The cost would be ridiculous.”
The selectmen will hold a public hearing on Jan. 22 on a proposal to amend town beer and wine regulations to allow the use of paper plates.
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