Greenfield opts out of state’s aerial mosquito spraying
BERSHOF
Published: 5/5/2021 4:57:05 PM
GREENFIELD The City Council voted during an emergency meeting Tuesday to opt out of recent State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board legislation that would allow aerial spraying in certain situations.
Board of Health Chair Nancee Bershof said the legislation authorizes the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board, under the Department of Agricultural Resources, to “engage in preventative, management and eradication methods whenever the commission of public health determines an elevated risk of arbovirus (arthropod-borne virus) exists or may exist for the current or upcoming year.”
“The difficulty is when aerial spraying is the recommended choice,” Bershof said. “The chemical adulticide used is Anvil 10-10. Controversy exists about the safety and efficacy of this treatment and of the effectiveness in general of aerial spraying.”
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Amherst Councilors oppose proposed Open Meeting Law change requiring public access to documents during and prior to scheduled remote-access meetings
Updated May 03, 2021;
AMHERST – Three Town Councilors wrote a letter to legislators voicing opposition to a proposed change in the state’s Open Meeting Law (OML) that would grant the public by-right access to documents -– before and/or during a scheduled meeting convening remotely – that involve relevant documents.
The intent of the proposed legislation is to foster greater transparency, according to the authors of the proposed changes to the OML, which is titled: “An Act Updating the Open Meeting Law to Support Remote Participation.”
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State grant to boost tourism in greater Amherst area
A view of Main Street in downtown Amherst on Saturday afternoon, March 14, 2020. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce intends to use funding from a state grant to launch a marketing campaign to draw visitors to attractions in Amherst and surrounding communities.
The chamber received a $116,655 grant last week from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism as part of $1.59 million given to 59 tourism organizations, chambers of commerce, and cities and towns.
With the largest recovery grant received in the Pioneer Valley, the chamber will be able to showcase the Amherst area, including Hadley, Belchertown, Sunderland, Leverett, Shutesbury and Pelham, as a hub for culture, education, dining, agriculture and business.
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