A Fowl Problem

Public Works Committee to discuss geese management

By JODY MURPHY
PARKERSBURG —City council’s public works committee will meet at 10 a.m. today at the request of Mayor Bob Newell to discuss a number of issues.

Newell submitted a list of items for discussion to committee chairman Brad Kimes.

“He has some things he wants to present,” Kimes said. “Everything should be done in the open, so we will be informed along with the public and go from there.”

Newell has requested: Discussion on the geese at the city’s parks; transferring the central garage on Camden Avenue to the Urban Renewal Authority; leasing the floodwall building on 29th Street to the humane society and improvements at old Classic golf course site.

Newell said the city’s park are overrun by Canada geese and the waste is a prevalent problem at both the City and Southwood parks.

Last November, Newell invited John Houben, a wildlife biologist and district supervisor with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to a council meeting to discuss a program to manage the geese. Newell said it would cost anywhere from $12,000 to $14,000 to manage the city’s geese population.

Prior to that meeting, Houben spent a day at City Park and counted 200 Canada geese. Houben told council the 200 geese will deposit more than 150 pounds of waste a day.

The problem persists.

Newell said attending the Daffodil Days event at City Park last month excrement was everywhere.

“You couldn’t walk 10 feet without stepping in it,” he said.

The mayor said also there is concern about E. coli in the park ponds. Newell said E. coli levels have been detected in both parks’ ponds, due to the geese excrement. While he stressed both ponds were at a safe and acceptable level, the issue could become a concern. Newell said safe levels of E. coli are anything below 200. Southwood Park’s pond registered an 88 level. The City Park was much lower, registering a 27. Newell said with the summer heat E. coli levels would rise.

Human or animal feces infected with E. coli can get into lakes, pools and water supplies. Humans can become infected when the contaminated water supply has not been properly treated with chlorine, or when people accidentally swallow contaminated water.

“If you have geese, you have E. coli and if you have a fountain spraying water you want to check the levels.” Newell said. “As the water heats up we will test it to see what the E. coli levels raise to.”

Newell said officials will test the E. coli levels in June, July and August. The City Park will not offer paddle boats this summer, due to the concern.

“We want to see what the levels are,” Newell explained.

“It is a health issue.”

The committee will also discuss transferring the central garage to the Urban Renewal Authority. The transfer would precipitate listing the property for sale.

Newell said council would have to approve a Phase II environmental study before the site is put up for sale.

Newell will also apprise the committee of improvements at First Avenue at the former Classic Golf course site. A group of investors, led by Terry and Joe Crislip, plan to build an all-sports academy and donate some of the adjacent land — that will include a pond — to the city for possible use as a park.