It was my understanding that I had been invited to the Salisbury town meeting to address the issues related to the BLSG (Brandon, Leicester, Salisbury, Goshen Insect Control District) and the funding for the legal expenses by members of the Salisbury selectboard. I was informed that we could have a booth there also to provide information to town residents, which we did.
Prior to the start of the meeting, I did consult with the moderator, Wayne Smith, and ask when on the agenda we would be addressing the concerns of the town residents. As I recall he indicated it was either article 8 or 9 on the agenda.
I was surprised when I approached the podium and was told that I could not speak because I had not been invited. By that time, a number of folks had already spoken against the article, and I was shaken and rattled as I tried to set the record straight, so I apologize for my poor performance.
Each town that is a member of the BLSG community is entitled to two representatives and one alternate. Salisbury has failed to have a representative for the past one and a half years, so it is not surprising that there has been a lot of misinformation propagated by members opposed to our adulticide program; which was expressed prior to my presentation.
The current selectboard has moved to rectify their misrepresentation and recently appointed two members to the BLSG board. We look forward to working with their representatives and providing an open forum for a discussion of issues related to mosquito control. The learning curve is long and arduous, but extremely gratifying in helping to provide an environment free of nuisance and disease-bearing mosquitoes, as best we can with very limited resources.
Our board meetings are open to the public, the third Thursday of the month at the Stephen Douglas Memorial building on Route 7 in Brandon at 7 p.m.
Minutes are also posted on our website (BLSGmosquito.wordpress.com) and also sent to the town clerk’s for posting.
Dr. Benjamin Lawton Jr.
Chairman, BLSG Insect Control District
Goshen