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Bat remediation at a bargain price

You see the strangest things sometimes while scrolling through official documents, such as the School Revenue Projects, Fund 400, that was in Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce’s report to the assembly last week.

It’s a list of account balances for projects of things in borough schools that need replacing, fixing or removing. And tucked among sidewalk repair and locker replacement, there’s “Bat Removal.”

“Well, we had, we had some bat infestation at a couple facilities,” said Scott Griebel, the director of the Kenai Peninsula Borough maintenance department.

The bats had found their way into open spaces in the roofs. But it was certain other complications that stretched the remediation out.

“They happen to be a protected species of animal, so we had to go through a fairly lengthy process to build omission traps and seal all the holes," he said." You know, to get them to go out, to not just exterminate them, to get them to leave the place and not come back.”

Griebel said they hired a local exterminator to do the job at the two different schools.

“He kinda studied the building during the evening hours, seeing where they were coming and going from," he said. "And then spent considerable amount of time sealing off all the additional accesses and then putting some little tube traps that all them to get out of the building but make it difficult to get back in.

And that took time. But it wasn’t the only complication. They also had to take into account bat romance.

“And we were only able to do this during certain times because they rear, and we can’t do it during that time," he said. "You have to wait until all, the whole colony is adults and able to freely move on their own before we’re able to do this operation. So it took about two years time for each facility.”

Which finally explains why a line item called “Bat Removal” from 2014 is still in the capital projects updates in 2018. But, since the bats have not come back, and have not seen fit to invade another borough building, Grieble said the account will eventually be closed. The unexpended balance will likely get rolled back into the general fund, and there’s quite a bit left. From a $50,000 initial authorization, only $8,413 was needed to do the job.