WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Board of Health Tuesday discussed efforts to remediate a bed bug infestation at a senior apartment complex.

 

Will Raymond was before the board at its monthly meeting to raise awareness of the bugs' presence at the Highland Woods apartments, an income- and age-restricted 40-unit building constructed on land donated by Williams College and opened about 10 years ago.

 

Raymond said that Pittsfield's Hearthway, Inc., manager of the apartments, has been trying to treat what he characterized as a "low-grade" infestation of the insects, which feed on human blood.

 

"Hearthway has tried to treat this with their vendor, Orkin, in April, again in June and another spraying two or three weeks ago," Raymond said. "They upped the treatment to take the outlet covers off the walls and get some kind of insecticide into the walls, because the problem is the migration of the bed bugs from unit to unit to unit."

 

Raymond said he has a friend living at Highland Woods who has an allergy to bed bugs, causing her pain.

 

"I'm just asking for some follow-up," Raymond said. "[Health Inspector Ruth Russell] maybe can ask them for specifics: What insecticides have they used in the past, and are there alternative treatments they could consider if they're needed?"

 

Board Chair Devan Bartels and Russell confirmed that the town's health agent has been working with Hearthway on the issue.

 

"These are difficult situations, because it's intractable in terms of getting rid of every tiny bug," Bartels said.

 

She noted there is also an inspection issue since the bed bugs hide in mattresses during the day and only come out at night.

 

"No one is going to inspect at 1 a.m.," Bartels said. "So there's that risk of false negatives."

 

While thanking Raymond for raising awareness of the issue, Bartels noted that not every inspection issue that crosses Russell's desk comes to light in the board's public meetings.

 

Campbell told the board that Hearthway is, "making an honest effort," on the bed bug problem and has committed to do inspections within 24 hours of each new occupation to make sure residents are not bringing the insects with them into the apartments.

 

A different Hearthway property in town continues to come up with the board.

 

On Tuesday morning, Russell gave the board an update on the situation at 330 Cole Ave., where a resident sought the town's intervention to deal with continued problems with the ventilation.

 

"They did get new filters for unit D6," Russell said. "I believe they got a large shipment of filters. We did receive an updated maintenance schedule Hearthway created to get these more on the radar.

 

"There were a few things I had to have them add to the maintenance schedule. We're waiting to get an updated copy of that."

 

Bartels said she would keep the 330 Cole Ave. issue on the board's agenda for the foreseeable future.

 

"Ruth, if you don't feel like it's a reasonable time frame for communication [with the property manager] … if you could just let us know," she said. "I'm trying to be civil. I know they have a lot going on. They have limited resources. But it's also about getting the appropriate maintenance to take place for the health of the [tenants]."

 

Board member Sandra Goodbody reported to her colleagues about her community outreach efforts at the Williamstown Farmers Market this summer. Generally, she said she was encouraged by her conversations with attendees, though she noted some members of the community were unaware there was an active Board of Health in town.

 

Among the concerns raised by townspeople Goodbody spoke to are: the lack of medical services and transportation options to those facilities where services are available; the presence of unhoused people, particularly near senior housing facilities and concerns about safety that come with that presence; lack of responsiveness among local landlords to issues like bed bugs and illegal use of tobacco products in apartments; and environmental risk factors like air quality and mosquito-borne illnesses.

 

On the last item, board member Marzio Gusmaroli informed his colleagues that he has scheduled a public information session on the Berkshire County Mosquito Control Project for Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Milne Public Library.

 

BCMCP Superintendent Chris Horton will be on hand to answer residents' questions about the program, which the board is considering asking Williamstown to join by a town meeting vote.

 

Gusmaroli said Horton will be able to answer questions about things like what triggers treatment under the county program and what larvicides and insecticides the program uses.

 

"I think it warrants more discussion," Bartels said. Summers are hotter. People who didn't need air-conditioning before now need it. … And with that changing climate comes more vector-borne diseases. We need to be ahead of the curve.

 

"This is something the Board of Health wants to bring before the public to decide whether we we want to have this and what are the costs associated with this."