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Second mosquito airplane possible
Published November 1, 2009
ANGLETON — Brazoria County could either replace a mosquito control airplane that crashed last month, contract for some control services or make do with what it has.
One of the Mosquito Control District’s two airplanes crashed Oct. 3, leaving the district with one aircraft to cover a 1,597-square-mile county. The crash set aerial mosquito control back about a decade, Mosquito Control Director Jim Ryan told commissioners Tuesday morning.
A used plane would cost the county about $210,000, plus $40,000 to fit it with mosquito control gear, Ryan said. The Mosquito Control District has that much money in reserve, he said.
In 1999, the county paid $114,000 for the now-useless plane, and it was expected to last about 10 years. The current plane was added in 2004 based on a 10-year service life.
Despite having only one plane, mosquito eradication still is faster now than it was 10 years ago, he said. Before 2000, it took 10 hours to spray Lake Jackson, Clute and Richwood and another 10 hours to cover Angleton. It now takes fewer than three hours to cover most of the populated areas in southern Brazoria County.
“We have options moving forward,” Ryan said. “One is to not replace the airplane and stay with our single airplane. It will service the county adequately as long as we don’t have any problems.”
Those problems could be mechanical or consist of a heavy outbreak of mosquitos.
The third option is to consider contracting the aerial service, which would cost about $1 per acre. Covering the county’s populated areas would cost about $216,000 each time it was needed, Ryan said.
Answering a question from Pct. 1 Commissioner Donald “Dude” Payne, Ryan said the two contractors in the United States offering the service are in Virginia and Mississippi.
“It’s very expensive,” he said. “(With local service), we have the services available immediately. If we identify a need this afternoon, we can get to it the next morning.”
The county pays two part-time pilots a total of about $5,000 per year, with Ryan doing the majority of aerial spraying. The same pilot, at contract rates, would cost about $450,000.
Contracting the service would not reduce labor costs significantly since the county would continue operating 14 trucks spraying insecticide, Ryan said.
County Judge E.J. “Joe” King recommended the question be posed to the county's mosquito control advisory board, a group of five members appointed to address such concerns. That commission was scheduled to meet a week ago but did not have a quorum, Pct. 2 Commissioner Matt Sebesta said.
Ryan hopes the commission can meet next week and bring recommendations to commissioners in November.
In other business Tuesday, commissioners:
PROCLAIMED: The week of Nov. 11 Veterans Week in Brazoria County. This year’s parade will begin at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 in Sweeny, Pct. 4 Commissioner Mary Ruth Rhodenbaugh said.
PROCLAIMED: Saturday as Habitat for Humanity Day in Brazoria County. The group’s 11th annual Walk for Habitat will be that day at McLean Park in Lake Jackson. The walk is the culmination of Habitat’s Penny Drive in which youths from around the area collect change for the home-building effort.
AGREED: To charge $500 to the Angleton Exchange Club for use of the Brazoria County Fairgrounds parking lot as part of a circus fundraiser Nov. 18 and 19. Proceeds, including the rent, will go toward the county’s Ring of Honor, a monument honoring military veterans to eventually be constructed outside the county courthouse.
HEARD: A presentation on health care that would involve the county opening its own clinic. The county wants to investigate the possibility, which presenter Darrell Wells, of Odessa, said could save money in the long-term. The county could appoint a committee to look into the possibility, said Arthur Velasquez, executive assistant to County Judge Joe King.
The county pays $588 per employee for health insurance per month and health care costs about $9 million per year, Human Resources Director Jim McCoy said.
“It would be hard to say what the impact would be at this point because we haven’t gotten to that point in our research,” McCoy said. “This is a growing trend across the state among cities and counties and bears looking into.”
No action was taken on the information-only item.
John Lowman covers Brazoria County for The Facts. Contact him at 979-849-8581.
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