Latest news with #ConneautHealthDepartment
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Conneaut health department studying mosquitos
CONNEAUT — The Conneaut Health Department will start studying the city's mosquito population next week. Conneaut Health Commissioner Nichele Blood said the health department wants to catch mosquitos around the city. 'We set a trap up and it will catch mosquitos for us,' she said. The mosquitos will then be taken to the health department office and frozen for a day, before being sent to an Ohio Department of Health lab for study. Blood said they are primarily interested in learning what species of mosquitos reside in the Conneaut area, and if they carry West Nile Virus. Blood said there have not been any recorded cases of the disease in northeast Ohio recently. According to the ODH website, there have been no cases of the disease in people or mosquitos surveilled across the state so far this year. Blood said the Conneaut Health Department is also monitoring for other mosquito-borne illnesses, including Eastern Equine Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, La Crosse virus, malaria, zika and yellow fever. 'Most are not common,' she said. The program is being paid for by part of a $8,150 grant the health department received from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The CHD used $5,600 to fund a tire collection at the Conneaut Spring Clean-Up last weekend. Blood said the rest of the grant money is going toward funding the mosquito surveillance and promoting mosquito awareness in Conneaut. Blood said mosquitos thrive in areas where there is standing water, especially unused tires. Blood recommended people take care of items that contain standing water on their properties, including tires, bird baths and toys left outside. People should also make sure to fix screen doors so mosquitos do not get indoors, and make sure to wear mosquito repellent. The CHD will be providing mosquito spray to the public and sending out flyers spreading awareness, Blood said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Conneaut hosting spring clean-up
CONNEAUT — The city is hosting a spring clean-up at the former Astatic property, at 341 Harbor St. The event began Thursday and continues today and Saturday, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. It is open to Conneaut residents. Conneaut Wastewater Superintendent Brian Bidwell said people participating in the clean-up have to show proof of city residency. 'Essentially, if you bring it here, we unload everything for everybody,' he said. 'If they want to help, they can, but we just have them pull up, we unload it.' Bidwell said the clean-up is focused on taking in larger items, but will not take hazardous waste, like refrigerators, air conditioners and other items that contain freon. 'Other than that, we take mattresses, TVs ... couches and furniture, and things like that,' he said. 'We're just putting [it] in the dumpster and smashing it down.' The clean-up also takes scrap metal and is sending it to a scrap yard, and people can come to the clean-up as many times as they want, Bidwell said. 'I don't anticipate that we'll be turning anyone away,' he said. Alongside taking in junk, the clean-up is collecting tires. Bidwell said the city's target is collecting 800 tires. 'Technically, we're only taking four tires per person, so, if you've got two people in the car, we'll take eight tires,' he said. The Conneaut Health Department funded the tire removal with $5,600 in grant funds from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Conneaut Health Commissioner Nichele Blood said. Blood said unused tires can be a place for mosquitos to reproduce. '[The clean up is] a great event that the city is able to put on for the citizens of Conneaut,' she said. The health department is giving out mosquito repellent at the clean up. 'If you're bringing tires, we're also giving you some mosquito repellent, just as a [thank you for] helping us keep the community mosquito-free,' Bidwell said. This is the second year the city has hosted the clean-up. 'I'm thrilled we're able to provide this opportunity to the city once again, because it's amazing what we accumulate over time and just need to organize and de-clutter,' Conneaut City Manager Nick Sanford said. Bidwell said there are not many changes to this year's event. 'The first day last year, we started out a little differently,' he said. 'We had people coming in, unloading things onto the pad, and then we were scooping it up. It was taking too long, so we changed what we were doing last year on day two.' Bidwell said he hopes the event gets bigger each year. 'A lot of people are cleaning up in the spring, and getting rid of just stuff in general,' he said. 'It's really been well-received in the community, and I think it's going to get better every year, and at hopefully at some point down the road, it'll be something even more.'
