Township on board with spray aid

DINGMAN - Financial relief for Gypsy Moth spraying costs is on the way for some Dingman residents and private communities. “We are contributing only a small portion of the cost of Gypsy Moth suppression spraying in Dingman Township,” said Tom Mincer, chair of the Board of Supervisors, on Tuesday. Dingman is the only municipality in Pike County providing a financial aid to residents. They will be providing individual homeowners and communities approximately 30 percent of the cost for spraying for who signed up for the Pike County spray program. For 98 individual homeowners this will amount to $80 of the proposed $260 county charge. The funding for 15 private communities will vary from a low of $405 (Stonehedge Lane) to a high of $24,135 (Pocono Woodland Lakes) and is proportionate with the size of the community. Mincer said the cost is about $75,000, which is coming from taxes already collected. “We have asked Representative Siptroth for some help and he told us he has no resources to get money for the spraying.” Mincer noted that Dingman is a tourist area and if the trees receive two consecutive years of Gypsy Moth devastation they may not recover. “Who wants to visit an area where the trees are all dead?” Mincer asked. Pike County is charging a 2 percent administration fee even though no county money is going to be spent on the Gypsy Moth spray program. “If the county is not helping out, why are they getting 2 percent?” questioned Mincer. “We don’t want any money we are contributing to go to the county. This seems a bit ridiculous.” Gypsy Moth aerial spraying will begin in late May of 2007, using a biological spray which is harmless to humans and animals. The spray, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), must be consumed by the Gypsy Moth caterpillars in order to be effective. “We will also be looking at ways to get those communities and private homeowners that have not participated involved. It doesn’t pay to spray your trees if your neighbor hasn’t sprayed theirs,” concluded Mincer.