Orange trustees accept bat housing

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Orange Township Trustees were presented with seven bat houses for the little brown bat and discussed having a spray sunscreen booth at the Orange Aquatic Center.

Emma Neff-Friel and Evelyn Bull, Girl Scouts with the Olentangy Service Unit, donated bat houses to the township Monday night.

“We built houses for the little brown bat,” Neff-Friel told trustees. “It is 3.5 inches with a wingspan of 10 inches and weighs about a quarter of an ounce.”

Neff-Friel said each house holds up to 100 bats that will kill 103 million mosquitoes each day. She said the houses would help increase the bat population.

Trustee Debbie Taranto asked the girls why the bats were so important.

“They eat the mosquitos that carry harmful diseases,” Neff-Friel said.

The girls said they are donating bat houses to Orange, Berlin and Liberty Townships.

Neff-Friel told the trustees that April 17 was National Bat Appreciation Day.

In other business, trustees heard discussion on installing a spray sunscreen booth at the Orange Aquatic Center.

“We spent almost $30,000 to clean and reseal the concrete at the pool from black marks,” said Beth Hugh parks director. “The black marks are from the spray suntan lotion.”

Hugh said she has started to get feedback from other pools that have experienced black marks but they weren’t sure what caused the marks. She said the imprint of feet on the concrete could be seen where kids had stood when sprayed.

Hugh said one recommendation was to ban the use of spray suntan lotion at the pool. However, she is looking at other options such designated spray areas away from the concrete or the sunscreen spray booth.

“With the booth the mist and the product that is staining the concrete would be contained,” Hugh said. “If we don’t move in this direction I would like the boards permission to move forward with some designated areas to spray.”

Hugh suggested the place should be somewhere in the grass away from the concrete.

“I would put signs everywhere,” Hugh said.

Trustees also approved contracts:

With Columbus Pool Management for $255,812.

Breck’s Paving and Sealing in the amount of $8,249 to resurface and stripe the basketball court at Orange Park.

Korda-Nemeth Engineering Inc. in the amount of $29,713 for the construction of North Road Park.

Korda-Nemeth Engineering Inc. in the amount of $12,307 for the construction of the Alum Creek Bridge Trail.

Trucco Construction in the amount of $1,597,200 for the construction of North Road Park Phase 1

Walt Sweeney Ford Inc. in the amount of $18,626 to replace a truck bed.

Emma Neff-Friel and Evelyn Bull donated seven bat houses they had made to Orange Township Monday night during a trustee meeting. Shown, from left, are trustee Lisa Knapp, Emma Neff-Friel, Evelyn Bull and trustee Debbie Taranto.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2017/04/web1_IMG_0115_F.jpgEmma Neff-Friel and Evelyn Bull donated seven bat houses they had made to Orange Township Monday night during a trustee meeting. Shown, from left, are trustee Lisa Knapp, Emma Neff-Friel, Evelyn Bull and trustee Debbie Taranto. D. Anthony Botkin | The Gazette

By D. Anthony Botkin

[email protected]

D. Anthony Botkin may be reached at 740-413-0902 or on Twitter @dabotkin.

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